When the teaser and trailer of Keerthy Suresh’s Raghuththa released on social media, they created a positive buzz around the film. The interestingly cut trailer reveals that the film will address the imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu. Also, Kayavizhi (Keerthy Suresh) tries to challenge patriarchy with her bold and outspoken attitude, which piqued everyone’s interest. Has Suman Kumar managed to weave a successful story around these two sensitive topics? Let’s find out!

Kayal (Keerthi Suresh) and her grandfather (MS Bhaskar) protest against the imposition of Hindi and are responsible for shutting down the Hindi organisation Ekta Sabha in their village Valluvanpettai. She is a feminist who criticises all those who say, “Ponna Adaka Odukama Iru” (Be shy and obedient like a lady) One day, her grandfather’s cancer diagnosis and his three wishes push her towards marriage, which she was never interested in.

Dissatisfied with the potential suitors proposed by her family, Kayal proposes marriage to her ‘progressive’ friend Selvan (Ravindra Vijay), who claims to be a fan of Kayal’s stories (which she publishes under the male pseudonym Ka Pandian). Will this decision change Kayal’s life?

Set in the 1970s, director Suman Kumar’s Raghuthatha addresses Hindi imposition and patriarchy – two issues that have remained relevant over the decades. He has added several sub-plots to his film, each of which has the potential to develop into a full-fledged story. However, Raghuthatha falls prey to these sub-plots as they remain superficial. After a point, the film repeatedly tackles the same issue, but with different scenes.

Watch the trailer here:

For example, take the Hindi imposition aspect. The film’s title credits show newspaper clippings of protests against Hindi imposition from the 1930s. Kayal and her grandfather are two people who value their ideology above all else. This subplot is established in the first 20 minutes, after which the story moves on to Kayal’s marriage and the subsequent love story. There is also the aspect of Kayal not wanting to learn Hindi to get a promotion at her bank, but apart from that, the imposition issue is not elaborated upon.

Raghunath’s story focuses mostly on Kayal’s marriage and Suman Kumar keeps it interesting with his one-liners and twists, even though it is pre-planned. However, even within this subplot, the film doesn’t delve much deeper. We get superficial dialogues about feminism and Kayal questioning every decision made by her father and family.

What stands out the most is that Kayal’s brother and sister-in-law support his mission. Their characters bring the much-needed humour to the film. Raghuthatha has two main subplots, but they don’t integrate seamlessly. The way they are intertwined feels forced and unsatisfactory.

Having said that, what saves Raghuthatha from being a disappointment is the last 20 minutes, where all the characters come together and take a funny turn. The comedy of errors works in the film’s favour, and you walk out of the theatre with a smile on your face.

Keerthy Suresh has carried the film with her acting and has carried the entire story forward. Ravindra Vijay’s acting is exaggerated at some places, but he has succeeded in making the audiences fall in love with his character. Kayal’s brother, sister-in-law and supportive friend (Devadarshini) really stand out.

Raghuthatha is a visually appealing film that aims for perfection and achieves it in aspects such as framing, costumes and lighting, which create a retro feel and transport you back to the 70s and 80s. However, it is also considered a musically heavy film. Composer Sean Roldan’s music, though prominent, often overpowers the overall feel of the film.

Director Suman Kumar has done a great job with his clever writing and one-liner dialogues. Some of the jokes work, but many don’t. Despite its potential, Raghuththa falls short of being a brilliant satire on Hindi imposition and patriarchy.

2 stars out of 5 for ‘Raghuthata’.