Roshini Haripriya (Deepu) plays the daughter of Kaali Venkat. She’s modern, out spoken and independent but she’s not a stereotypical cold-hearted, stone-faced urban woman. Deepu is realistic, desperate and someone who craves for an emotional shoulder. That’s all the characters in Madras Matinee — their multi dimensional sketches bring them very close to reality.
It’s the small things that make Madras Matinee a heartwarming and soulful film — things like a pickle man giving unsolicited advice, a proud, opportunistic politician or a boss who’s just a girl’s girl. But it also gets extremely serious where it has to. The trope of how an abusive home births an abusive adult, and its take on colorism and casteism along with the framing and composition for the cinematography make it very fresh
The film is not an average familial drama that glorifies a father’s struggles or masks his toxicity as sacrifice. It acknowledges their struggles, calls it boring and mundane and presents something delightful out of it. Choosing to narrate it in the form of a mockumentary with overarching meta references and casting Ramar and Geetha Kailasam in quirky characters added a touch of refreshment to the story.
There’s a fine line between presenting the distress of the middle class and romanticizing it. A lot of Tamil films that revolve around this genre often blur the line but Madras Matinee gets it right and that’s where it wins big.
Madras Matinee is a slice of life story that is soulful and comical but also over dramatic, at times.
