Ketchup Cut: Paava Kadhaigal, an anthology talking about honour and brutality

Netflix's anthology, Paava Kadhaigal talks about society's brutal truths and that's what we're discussing in today's Ketchup Cut.

With OTT platforms becoming our top priority when it comes to entertainment, the exposure to new and original content has expanded our idea of storytelling. We find ourselves in a conundrum to find the perfect TV show or movie to watch while scanning through this vast pool of entertainment. We're also happy to be able to find these options. Netflix has become our go-to for our perfect binge-night. And among all the shows and movies that it has produced over the years, an anthology is something that has been able to grab our attention. On today's Ketchup Cut, we will be talking about a heart-wrenching anthology that highlighted four major issues, Paava Kadhaigal.

About the movie:

Directed by – Sudha Kongara, Gautham Menon, Vetrimaaran and Vignesh Shivan
Cast – Kalidas Jayaram, Anjali, Simran, Sai Pallavi, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Kalki Koechlin, Gautham Menon, Prakash Raj
Where to watch – Netflix

The film begins with a pregnant Sumathi (Sai Pallavi) happily reunited with her estranged family in her village. She was cut off from her parents and siblings a few years ago after she eloped and married Hari (Hari Krishnan), a boy from a lower caste. But her story ends with the father's honour winning over her life.

Ketchup Cut:

One can not fathom the kind of environment that a person might have grown in for them to believe their pride and hate matter more than something as pure as love. We've heard of reports where people are murdered and killed to keep up with society's ideas of honour and family values. Higher caste vs lower caste stories have been spoken about in movies, but this version in Oor Iravu from Netflix's Paava Kadhaigal is an ugly picture of the extremes that people go to for safeguarding their face in society. This one episode in this anthology is chilling, brutal, and feels like an odyssey.

Hari (Prakash Raj) appears at the start of the story as a longing father who on realizing that his daughter Sumathi (Sai Pallavi) is pregnant, decides to visit her. Sumathi who chose love over the barriers of class and caste happens to have a happy, content life with her husband who loves her dearly. Even though she parted on a bitter note with her father when she decided to marry her husband, his surprise visit to their Banglore home was a happy one. Until she decided to go to her village to attend the baby shower that her family organized for her.

While one thought that Hari left all his animosity behind and chose his love for his daughter over the pride that he so craved from society, soon turned out to be a sham at the end of the film. The audience knew right at the moment Sumathi began choking that things were about to turn ugly. The audience can feel the agony rising within that filled our hearts with pain. There's also a complete contrast to the end and their yoga scene where we get a moment of silence between the two. It's the moment where we feel like Hari realizes all the pleasures of his daughter's life that are filled with love and comfort. He knows that the life she chose couldn't be better. This may also have been the moment when the guilt of what he was about to do to her kicked in. Clearly, the guilt was not strong enough to stop him from killing his own daughter.

That's when we realize that a father would consider taking his own daughter's life while killing her unborn child just to win his pride back. The instant change in Hari's character makes us resent him. And the credit for making us experience the anger goes to the director. The last couple of minutes in the film leaves our stomach churning in anger and sadness. Vetri Maaran, who has given us classics in the past, weaves the most important issue with the film in a simple and yet intriguing storyline that hits the bull's eye.

Fun Facts:

The film also marked Netflix's maiden venture into the south streaming content.

The film was rumored to be an adaptation of Lust Stories, it was later confirmed that the film will be a different subject apart from the original.

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Which is your favorite story from this film? Share your thoughts with us.

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