A still from “Raghutatha”

The opening section of Raghu Thathatakes us back to the 1960s. During the opening credits, we are shown newspaper clippings about important developments during this time. In Tamil Nadu, a state that has been vocally opposed to the introduction of Hindi, anti-Hindi slogans and protests are widespread. Indira Gandhi is the first woman to take over the office of the country’s Prime Minister, which should ideally give women across the country much more confidence and freedom.

But that is not the case with Kayalvizhi, who grows up in Valluvanpettai, a small village in Tamil Nadu. When we first see Kayalvizhi (Keerthy Suresh), she is wearing a shirt. She tells her mother, who asks her to dress neatly: “Ponna adakamalan iruka mudiyathu“(I’m not interested in being a real lady). There is defiance in her voice, and what is striking – right from the first dialogue itself – is that Kayal does not even wait for her mother to finish the sentence, but immediately answers with a loud “No”.

It’s almost as if she’s heard this sentence many times in her life.

She will hear it again much later in the film, when a marriage proposal knocks on her door, completely against her will. She tells the boy’s father: “Mandaya Odachuduven” (I’ll smash your skull in). Kayalvizhi is used to being told to hold back and “act like a girl,” and she’s not taking any of it.

This rebellious streak carries over into her public life as well. She is at the forefront of anti-Hindi protests in her village, which lead to the closure of a Hindi prachar sabha in the town, angering some people.

Kayalvizhi gets this streak from her grandfather, played by MS Bhaskar, who continues his journey in Tamil cinema at the top of his game. Here in Raghu Thathathe title goes back to the funny one-liner from the 1981 Tamil film Indru Poi Naalai Vaathe character ‘Thatha’ is interestingly of utmost importance. He has a close bond with his granddaughter Kayal, which is much stronger than her bond with her own parents, and he asks her to do something that is far against her will. Will she do it?

The biggest plus of Raghu Thatha is its irreverence and humour. Even a more serious scene is laced with a generous dose of humour, and it doesn’t just come from the leads. There’s Kayal’s brother’s wife, who gets very little screen time, but ends up making the whole room applaud with her wit. There are two small-town criminals who steal the scene at one point. And of course there’s MS Bhaskar, who occasionally delivers poker-faced quips that make you laugh.

But the filmcould have done without many of the early conversations between Kayal and Selvam (Ravindra Vijay). Ravindra Vijay is convincing in his performance, but his change of heart over the course of the film is not explained as clearly as it should be.

Raghu Thatha Suman Kumar, who has already directed successful series such as The family man And Farsi.The film’s relaxed approach in the first half is balanced by the 20 minutes of rollercoaster ride at the end that will put a smile on your face. Also, music composer Sean Roldan has a lot of fun with the tunes; the music adds a wonderful touch to the narrative (‘Poruthhiru Selva’ sung by SP Charan deserves special praise. Don’t we all miss SPB?)

And right in the middle of it all is Keerthy Suresh, who once again delivers a convincing performance. There is something natural about Keerthy here that makes even sequences packed with messages seem less heavy-handed. Most of the film is just her thing… BeIf that’s not a sign of solid performance, what is?

Raghu Thatha is currently in cinemas