Western Ghats (2018) User Reviews

Real life depiction

[jopauljohny · 8/10 · 8 September 2018]

I am from the Idukki (Kerala) side of Western Ghats, exactly the Vattappara cardamom hills, where the movie revolves around. I was eagerly waiting to watch the movie when I first came to know about this in the IFFK. As it was not released in Kerala I was utterly disappointed and was double minded about watching the low quality Tamilrockers print. However I was able to watch the movie with good quality by waiting for a few days, even though I regret for not having a good theatre experience.

The movie tries its best to prove justice to reality of the hills. It is very much able to bring the plight of the landless Tamil labours who work in the cardamom plantations. The cruel nature of 'Kankanis', and the opportunistic politics of trade unions are very well depicted.

As I had no first hand experience about the lives of labours on the lee side of the mountains and as I was eager to know about it, the movie come in handy. The story is so intense that we could finish the it only with a disturbing mind.

Really a super film in Tamil cinema

[krshanthi-20726 · 9/10 · 2 September 2018]

Film shows real characters in screen. The characters are living in this film. Cinematography is super. A quality film by director Lenin bharathi and producer Vijay Sethupathi.

Unbelievably raw, beautiful and poetic

[Jithindurden · 8/10 · 9 September 2018]

The simplicity and poetic beauty of this film which is not at all akin to that are seen in Indian cinema and especially Tamil cinema. A recent Malayalam film Prakashan tried to create something like this but failed miserably. It became too expository and the lack of understanding of such stories by the makers was evident. Here everything falls exactly into the right places and shows the life of indigenous people of the Tamil Nadu-Kerala state border of Western Ghats of India. Their simple life becomes more and more complicated over the years till they lose all their lands and their livelihood becomes something closer to slavery but they still go on without losing the will to live. Those who should stand up for them sell them out and the few who would stand up would be thrown under the system. The decision to use mostly debutant actors have helped in furthering the authenticity of the film. The beautiful scenery of the Western Ghats acts as the solemn emotion that flows through the film by showing the impossible life of these people rather than just looking at these beautiful landscapes.

Oh My God... Awesome Movie.. Never Seen Such a Movie

[rajeshkadarkarai · 10/10 · 24 August 2018]

Viewers should support and watch this kind of movie. This will take Tamil cinema in to next level

Naturally Live Movie Experience - Best Tamil Cinema

[karthik-mee8 · 10/10 · 25 August 2018]

MerkuThodarchiMalai - Travel lively along with the peoples of western ghats. Theni Eswars cinematography and illayaraja's background score beautifully portrays the real life naturally.

Best from Tamil cinema.Thanks to Vijay Sethupathi's production house.

Lenin Bharathi's Screenplay will make us to travel along with the real life characters footpath.

Wonderful experience, support such a film in theatres.

Must watch real livelihood movie

[samsteffinrajan · 10/10 · 23 August 2018]

Awesome i just felt live in this movie must watch movie

Feel the fact

[rubansrk · 10/10 · 26 August 2018]

People's movie.. Director did a great job. After longtime workers political movie..

This is world cinema!.

[sppbhaskaran · 10/10 · 24 August 2018]

Wow !. Technology and creativity are enormous pollination !.

Not a movie. It is life..

[rajamani-36441 · 10/10 · 12 September 2018]

This is not just a movie.. this is life... Hats off lenin and rangu and ilayaraja sir and every other heros who acted in this life(movie).

Must visit

[bala-73613 · 27 August 2018]

Right from the opening shot till the end credits roll, this is a technically slick movie and makes you hooked with a compelling narration aided by stupendous cinematography. For just the breathtaking camerawork, this movie is worth a watch. Though the performances of the new actors are very natural, a director like Bala would have made them emote still better. And Lenin has intelligently not filmed their expressions in close-up. Last but not the least, the maestro's score that some critics have been disappointed with. In my view as a layman, his score as always quite effectively connects the movie with the viewers. It is silent at many places, functional at a very few places(including the marriage song), brilliantly intense during the latter half(including the beautifully composed/rendered Andarathil song. The maestro has used a Thara Thappatai movie sequence BGM in the prelude/interludes of this song). In my personal view, this is a Bala-movie minus the violence he is known for forcefully thrusting in his movies. MTM will definitely leave lump in your throat when you come out of the movie hall. Must visit movie amidst the mindless mayhems we have been be exposed to.

Visually nice but plot is lacking

[interestingstuff · 6/10 · 7 April 2023]

It looks like the producers of this movie found a drone and decided to film some aerial footage of the mountains and used this movie as an excuse to play around with their drone cameras. The problem is that they forgot to add a storyline to the movie and it completely lacks a plot.

This movie feels like watching a documentary about lives of union farmers that live in the mountains and work on other lands and their dream is to someday own their own land. It's very realistic in terms of visuals, their experiences and day to day lives but that's not enough to make a great movie. One thing that makes a movie great is a strong plot and this movie is lacking that. What good is a movie if it can't tell a good story in a compelling manner? If I wanted to watch a documentary I'd have watched a documentary.

In this movie the producers couldn't decide if they wanted to make a movie or a documentary or just film aerial footage with their new drones so they ended up making something that has a little of everything but no good story.

Best Filmaking, Lively Feel

[saru2020 · 10/10 · 28 August 2018]

One of the masterpieces of Tamil Cinema. I think i've never had such a lively experience watching a movie, not even in 3D movies, I literally felt like living in a village just among all those characters in the movie, it felt so much LIVELY to me. You'd never know how you got there but after watching this movie, in the end you'll feel like you've lived a village life for so long. You'll learn about the how today's urbanisation has expanded so rapidly, how people's lives are impacted due to that, what role political parties play in villages, how the electricity used by us generated from windmill has changed people's lives and so on and so forth... especially NOT in dialogues but just VISUALLY. Everyone should definitely watch this movie ALONE(To get that Lively feel) in theatre.

I think this movie should be run w/o intervals to avoid the interruption.

I watched this movie only after seeing the reviews of Blue Sattai Maran & Prashant/Panda's reviews and feel good for doing so, thanks to them else i might've missed this movie.

SUMMARY: BESTEST FILMMAKING BEST CAMERA WORK LIVELY FEEL BGM

So Real

[ram-narayanan89 · 10/10 · 4 September 2018]

This movie handles many things on the fly. Too realistic and real life characters and definitely depicit life of the people. Hats off to the crew

Awesome

[selvarajvaasudevan · 10/10 · 1 September 2018]

Felt like watching Satyajit Ray movie after long time. One of the best movie in tamil.

The uncompromising effort...

[gowtham-75474 · 10/10 · 27 August 2018]

A realistic cinema.. director did a excellent job.brilliant cinematography.

No kutthu songs. No famous actors pure and simple

[hussainalavi · 10/10 · 10 September 2018]

Hats off Vijay sethupathy. Keep up bringing more films.

Must Watch

[unspottedveen · 10/10 · 3 September 2018]

You don't watch this movie, you get to live along with them. And the forest and greenery in the movie is Real Love.

Good movie of the year 2018

[r-balajiece2009 · 10/10 · 28 August 2018]

I don't think any other director directing movie like "merku thodarchi malai" in last decades Very simple cinema and characterization superb and Excellent background score and awesome cinematography.

People movie

[gilligowtham · 10/10 · 27 August 2018]

Its wasnt a movie at all it was just like an edited footage of cctcv's kept in nook and corners of that mountain.. A powerful mesaage with a hidden story line which touches all the ism's eg.humanism,socialism,communism etc.characterisation is the main highlight of the flim equal clear weigtage to each and every character... A must watch flim. I AM VERY PROUD TO SAY THAT THIS MOVIE HAVE CAME FROM MY LAND...

Great movie to watch and Think how We are

[barathkumarkaruppanchetty · 10/10 · 27 August 2018]

It really Shows Humanity, development of Modern Culture and gives a tear drops on end.

Authenticity of the people and the land captured perfectly

[GaneshM09 · 9/10 · 6 May 2020]

Beautiful shots of the mountainous region. Not a single drop of authenticity was left uncaptured by Director Lenin Bharathi. I read that he grew in a village like that with an estate worker mother and a communist movement supporter father.

Watching this film would make you aware of how commercial films have morphed how your mind thinks during the course of a movie. The life captured on screen was idyllic, but years of commercial movies made my mind to constantly expect a downturn of events. "Things can't be this good, where's the twist?" was what went through my mind every once in a while.

This movie is such an accurate depiction of life at the foothills, that you would be able to relate anyone talks about the plight of landless labourers after this.

Awestruck !

[vineepradeepan · 10/10 · 27 August 2018]

For me , the prime contributor for any movie is the screenplay and the dialogue writer and then comes the director and the other technicians.

When the writer and the director are the same, the magic never gets diluted. Here the cinematographer adds to the magic.

Lenin Bharathi is the credited story-writer of Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer and won awards for the story writing. He has also majorly contributed for Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai.

I guess we have a director that's close to #DileeshPothan , #VJS can be super proud to have produced such an exemplary movie.

The cinematographer is another dearer one for the movie and then comes the actors ! If you don't watch this movie, then you're missing a creator's product that's going to change the way we look at #TamilCinema

#MerkuThodarchiMalai #LeninBharathi #VijaySethupathi #TheniEaswar #VijaySethupathiProductions #Antony #GayathriKrishna #AbuValayankulam #TamilMovie #Ilaiyaraaja

Outstanding cinema in Tamil

[sureshkumartvr · 10/10 · 28 August 2018]

Leninbharathi given his best in class product. We could see the his quality of making cinema in his experience. All characters are just they lived as it is. Vijay contributed his investment for right product. Congratulations for all team members.

Fantastic screenplay..

[sathishgreen · 10/10 · 29 August 2018]

A must watch Indian movie... Kudos to lenin bharathi

Western ghats.....the life we lost...

[solomonvarghese-26330 · 9/10 · 21 October 2018]

This is not a mere film...it's real life with flesh and sweat also shows how hardworking and sincere was early man ....the actors makes it perfect no one can say that this is there debut and the camera shows the western ghat's scenic beauty like we are there.The comrade Chacko gives us goose bumps.Please do watch it.....