The light-hearted story of a simpleton who's prime objective in life is to fall in love, is what Atta Kathi is all about. Made by a team of freshers, debutante director Pa.Ranjith brings to us the story of Dinakaran aka 'Atta', and how his "love'' affairs affect his life.
Dinakaran(Dinesh), residing in a village close to Chennai, lives a carefree life in his small world - made up of his parents, friends, 'gaana' songs and daily bus trips which involve flirting with every woman who catches his fancy. This attitude of his puts him in several situations, where he finally gives up on love and decides to look past women. Soon, his life takes on a better path, till he meets a woman from his past, who manages to rekindle his feelings yet again. Will Dinakaran taste success in his love life or not, is what the rest of the story is about.
Perhaps the greatest drawback of the movie, is it's pace. While the storyline is a fresh idea, the screenplay is such a drag, that even neat cinematography(PK Verma) and editing(Leo John Paul) do not help. While the movie goes on with pointless chatter in the first half, it takes a slow walk towards the crux of the story in the second half, but picks up speed as it moves towards the climax. Dinesh, as the protagonist, and Nanditha, as the main heroine Poorni, have done a decent job. Locations, and casting are huge pluses, as they bring an exceptional sense of reality to the movie. Certain characters, like the artistes who play Dinakaran's parents, are worth mention, for their natural performances.
The music direction of this film has been wonderful, and newcomer Santhosh Narayanan has brought out some refreshing tracks, 'Aasai Oru Pulveli' being the favourite. The BGMs and the gaana sequences are to be appreciated as well. The stunt sequences have been well developed, thanks to Dilip Subburayan, but certain points seem a bit too overwhelming, a bit too commercial.
And thus, unfortunately, Atta Kathi does not live to the hype it's created. A different story, a good attempt, could have been treated much better.
