Mitr:My Friend

The experiment is interesting—a film with nri life as its subject, which speaks like them. English, Tamil and Hindi jostle enviously in a story all about the highs and lows faced by a couple in the US. The husband (Nasir Abdullah) has adjusted well but the wife (Shobhana) struggles to put up with the demands of a liberal life. The bone of contention is their college-going daughter who tries playing the cool role of her generation: she demands that her mom stop interfering in her life. Character sketches constitute the film's strong point—chinks in the husband's liberalism come out while the wife emerges as a mature human being in the face of emotional problems. Director Revathy avoids 'Indianising' her too much—she has American guys as her friends who come over to the house for casual chats. She also stays faithful to the nri dilemma and the way they see things like Indian culture and traditional values. The problem, however, rests in the overall feel—there is too much of an even mood throughout the movie. You almost get the sense of watching a TV show. By the second half, when the pace drags, you start wishing for some sort of drama and a perspective outside the character's lives.