PremiumHarkara Review: Even Kaali Venkat's earnest performance does not save this well-intentioned film, which falters due to weak writing
Harkara is a film that has its heart in the right place, but derails due to weak writing and execution
Last Updated: 08.21 PM, Oct 01, 2023
Story: A frustrated postman in a remote village, goes great lengths to get himself transferred, but a story from the past changes his heart.
Review: Director Ram Arun Castro's Harkara is the kind of film that has its heart in the right place, but just about misses out on warming our hearts completely. The film is billed as the tale of India's first ever postman, who was then called Harkara. The story alternates between the contemporary time and 150 years ago in the pre-independence era.
The film begins in Keezhmalai, a remote village in the Bodinayakanur town. Just as the name suggests, the village is located in the foothills of a mountain. And it's here that Kaali (Kaali Venkat), a newly-appointed postman gets his first posting. Despite being a government employee, the 33-year-old man is turned down in the marriage market, due to his location of work.
The icing on the cake is the idiosyncrasies of the villagers, who would even wake him up at the bewitching hour to get money to buy food for their pregnant goat! To the villagers, the postman is like their messiah, and for a reason. The Keezhmalai post office even has a figurine of the first Harkara.
Cut to the British era, we meet Madheswaran, the first postman in the village. So, why did he go on to become god-like for the villagers in Keezhmalai? Kaali learns his story as he climbs atop the hill to deliver the letter to Mariyamma, an elderly woman in the village. Cinematographers Philip R Sunder and Lokesh Elangovan's visuals make Kaali's journey interesting as he makes his way through the lush green mountain.
But just like Kaali, we too, begin to feel exhausted as he ascends the mountain listening to the story of Harkara. As the film travels back and forth in time, the director tries hard to hold the suspense about the goings-on in the past. While Kaali's story keeps us engrossed, the film falters due to its weak writing when it traverses to Madheswaran.
The director squanders time setting up the premise in the past and infuses a lot of melodrama in the portion. His love angle with Durga (Gautami Chowdry), too, fritters away time from the actual story at hand. It is also not clear how a person like Madheswaran who seems to clearly know right from wrong, ended up working for the British without understanding their real motives. His instant transition to a rebel isn't convincing either. That said, his heroic deed towards the end of the flashback, goes give a jolt to sit up and take notice.
The biggest downside of Harkara is that Madheswaran's story (the very idea of making the film) doesn't stay in our minds and hearts. It is a given that he has made the ultimate sacrifice for the villagers, but somehow, his story doesn't strike a chord. Had the director invested more time in making Madheswaran a compelling character, the message would have been delivered right into our hearts.
Verdict: Harkara is a film that has its heart in the right place, but weak writing and screenplay relegates it to an average fare.