Bala is a filmmaker who has a reputation for sketching such characters that are misfits in the society. And he seems to have a liking for the Maniratnam style of movie making, which is quite evident in this movie....
If you have watched the Maniratnam-SS starrer - Thalapathy, you could clearly see the correlation between the two movies. The movie starts off in black-and-white in a similar manner to Thalapathy where a child is born and is seperated from the mother. As soon as the child is born the movie shifts to a coloured frame and our hero having got seperated from his mother as she dies after his birth in a graveyard, is brought up by a grave-yard dweller. The two movies have a lot in common; the friendship between the leads, villain interfering in the lives of our heroes.... leading to the death of one, and the other avenging his death.
What is unique in this movie is the way in which Bala has sketched out the characters of the leads Vikram (Siththan) and Surya (Shakthi). Siththan is a character that maintains his silence as he has not been in contact with the outside world since his childhood and Shakthi is the exact opposite, a con-man being very loquacious and talks people into believing him and eventually cheats them. How friendship blossoms between the two and how Shakthi makes Siththan feel one among the world and finally how Shakthi's death affects Siththan forms the remaining part of the story. All credits to Bala for having given a mixed feeling in the movie. The film contains aspects of Comedy, friendship, romance and revenge and Bala has handled all such human emotions very well and gives a subtle touch which makes the movie feel realistic.
One major asset of the movie is Vikram's acting that eventually fetched him a National Award for best actor. His dialogues in the movie is close to nil and yet he manages to make one relate to his character through his body language, mannerisms, facial expressions all of which have been enacted to perfection. It is quite a thing he has managed that it takes some time to sink such barbarian characters into one's heart. Apparently the scene where Vikram has a quarrel with the jailer and when he beats him down and sits on the parapet wall is definitely a delight to watch. This is the movie that established Vikram in the league of heroes those who guarantee a minimum return.
Coming to Cinematography, the very first scene captures the attention of viewers. The transition from black-and-white to colour is done in such a way (the camera moves along a particular path, stops for some time, colour transition takes place as Siththan is born, and then the camera traces back along the same path and stops where it originally started) that is sure to leave a mark on the viewers and ilayaraja's music in the back ground adds an effect to the introduction of the film. Subramaniam's camera also effectively captures the surrounding locales of Bodinayakannur and the natural village setting creates a coherent mood for the narration. Though this film has a tragic climax just like every other Bala film his auteurism is felt all throughout the movie, and the movie is also greatly supported by the lead actors that makes Pithamagan one of the finest films made in Tamil Film Industry.
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