A message worth Sharing Kollywood has finally turned its attention towards social issues and its by products. Starting from farmers' issue to medical scams, to child labour to present-day politics, the radar has widened over the years. Sigai is an addition to this line up which managed to make people realise the harms caused against transgender.
It's been two years since Sigai has been premiered in the All Lights India International Film Festival in Hyderabad. The movie made a positive impact on the audience during the premiering. After the success, the movie was released on Zee5, the second mainstream movie to be released in a streaming service.
The movie has two different messages to showcase. One is about the life and pain that sex workers go through on a daily basis and the other one is about the inequality faced by the transgender in India. The director has done a fantabulous job portraying both the messages.
The plot is very simple. It follows a crisp narration until the end of the first half. The nightlife of Chennai has been pictured to perfection. Each frame has its own story to speak. Once the initial set upset in the core story unfolds, the thrilling element that follows in the second half makes this movie a perfect watch for this weekend.
The second half is entirely different from the first, as it takes us into the world of Mathivanan, a transgender. It shows us the problems faced by the transgender which might even make you cry by the end of it. The movie ends with a message and the song on Transgender.
Performance:
Kathir as Mathivanan is fresh from the success of Pariyerum Perumal and Vikram Vedha. He should get special applause just for accepting the role. It is a bold step in his career. He has done proper justice to the role in every frame. His posture, mannerism and dialogue delivery portrays his talent as an actor.
Meera Nair as Nirmala played her role with ease. Though she shares a small screen space, she has utilised it well. Raj Barath as Prasad is one of the characters you must look out for in the movie. The movie has a bunch of stars like Riythvika, Mayilsamy and others. Everyone has justified their roles.
Jagadeesan Subu has done a fair job, considering that this is his debut movie. His intention is clear from frame one to the end. He has done a lot of hard work in detailing the characters even in the short span of 95 minutes. Chetta using a diary to record phone numbers though he has a mobile phone, Prasad's care for Buvana are few examples of it. Navin Kumar's cinematography and Ron Ethan Yohann's music are some of the prominent elements of the movie. Their contribution to the movie was nothing less than flawless.
The problem with Sigai is its two different plots. Till the interval, the story is crisp and engaging, but once Mathivanan's character is introduced in the movie, the story starts to dilute. Though the intended message is clear, the portrayal is not so convincing at some places. If a little detailing about Mathivanan's childhood been added to the story, it would have made the movie a seamless one.
Apart from few hiccups, Sigai is a worthy watch for its message and performances by the actors. The director succeeds in making us feel for the sex-workers and the transgender, something that is so uncommon in films nowadays.