I finally got around to watching (trying to watch, to be more accurate in hindsight) the much-touted “Navarasa”. An anthology of short films that depict the ‘9 emotions’, it brings together some of the biggest names in the Tamil film industry. Watching it was a breeze I must say… but because I couldn’t finish most of them.

Here’s why, and how it panned out for me.

1. “Edhiri” (Karuna – Compassion): The first film, and my choice of best, in the anthology. It brought together form, content and performances very well and held my attention throughout. Like any good short story, it had enough subtext, even surprise, that made for an engrossing watch. Revathi shows us once again, why she is as good as she always has been. Nuanced performances from Prakash Raj and Vijay Sethupathi kept me invested in the characters, enough to want to find out how the story ends.

“Edhiri” did one more, albeit very unfortunate, thing for me though: It set my expectations very high for the films to follow.

I was sorely disappointed.

2. “Summer of ’92” (Haasya – Laughter): This one was indeed laughable as a predictable amalgamation of clichés that appeared very deliberate. I think I went some 15 minutes into it before I DNF.

3. “Project Agni” (Adbhutha – Wonder): All I had to see was the treatment in the beginning, including the beach shots and a fleeting bit of “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” to guess it was some sort of poor-man’s “Inception“. Or one of those ill-thought-out ‘tributes’. I was left with wonder… at where all that effort and talent disappeared. All in 10 minutes or lesser. DNF.

4. “Payasam” (Bibhatsa – Disgust): A beautiful looking film with amazing actors. I would’ve watched it if not for it boring me out of my skull in 8-9 minutes. Perhaps there were nuances of the sub-culture portrayed in the film that I didn’t catch. DNF.

5. “Peace” (Shaantha – Peace): After a shaky panning shot right at the beginning, I found peace in the NEXT button very soon with this one. The moment the boy appeared on screen and took a tumble, I scooted. DNF.

6. “Rowthiram” (Raudra – Anger): Again, colourful visuals can only do that much. The moment the cop made her appearance and got into action, I left, unconvinced. I wasn’t angry though. That much I should say. DNF.

7. “Inmai” (Bhayaanaka – Fear): Although a bit superfluous with the religious stereotypes right from the font used for the credits, this one kept me going well into the story before I was left with a fear that Siddharth’s character may not go much beyond those annoying expressions in close-up, and that the story isn’t going to redeem itself as a study in fear. DNF.

8. “Thunindha Pinn” (Veera – Valour): The second film in the whole anthology that I sat through fully. While it didn’t explore any unfamiliar tropes, it managed to weave enough intrigue to make me want to know what happens. No surprises, but neat. Kishore’s presence is a big plus.

9. “Guitar Kambi Mele Nindru” (Shringaara – Romance): My first-ever Suriya film that I have left unfinished. A steaming pile of unimaginative ‘romantic’ clichés had me cringing within the first minute. The garish treatment left me unimpressed and totally disappointed as far as interesting romances go. DNF.

I really hope the anthology did for the film industry what it promised to do — raise funds for industry insiders, especially the daily-wage earners, affected by the ongoing pandemic and the restrictions it put on production. I doubt it did much for the audiences though. Not me, certainly.

Final Tally: 2/9
One-word summary: Insipid

Oh, and DNF = Did Not Finish