Not even bad in a good way

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Many reviewers have said it's 'To kill a mocking bird'. I feel its story also has lots of E.T in it. The way the alien is found disgusting, then adorable and then the E.T finds home. So if 'To kill a mocking bird is also included, I'll give only one star. It was entertaining and can be seen as a derivative adaptation and not a copy of the two films, there it scores a 8.The music is the highlight of the movie, so are the children. Just love all the songs in the movie, has got a lot of nostalgic value.Raguvaran and Revathy gave a very well nuanced performance as the mom and dad of Anjali, and Shamili as Anjali was outstanding, should congratulate Manirathnam for extracting good performances out of the artists.

It's common knowledge that Mani Ratnam is considered one of India's best directors, if not the best. That reputation has come thanks to films like Anjali. It is entertaining at times and at others, unabashedly poignant to the point of being melodramatic. But, what it never fails to do is make you think. Backed up by a fantastic crew comprising of legends like Ilaiyaraja and the precocious performances of the children, the film is a landmark effort in portraying the trials and tribulations of a family when faced with a totally unexpected development.A middle-class family is fairly contented until the wife delivers a still-born child. However, with her husband's gentle administration and the antics of her other children, the wife puts her grief behind until one day, she is shocked to discover that her husband is "seeing" another woman, as alleged by her son who happens to spy on a secret conversation while welcoming the New Year with a raucous dance party at midnight. Following a furious argument, the husband is forced to admit that the still-born child is still alive, but in no position to lead a normal life. Struck by autism, the child's days are numbered and the husband (who happens to be a doctor) seeks the assistance of a specialist (who is incidentally the other woman) to revive the child and help it lead a happy life. The wife is undaunted by the traumatizing prognosis and takes the eponymous child home to care for her.At the apartment, hell breaks loose with the neighboring kids taunting the unwitting child, whose siblings retaliate with force. Fortunately, the child is slowly accepted by the other children, but the adults aren't so accommodating. An ex-convict enters the frame somewhere and hisses venomous threats at the apartment association members. In due course, the child becomes the darling of the block and all seems well.One fine day, Anjali's elder sister tries to awake her, with no response. The elder brother tries likewise and to his horror, discovers that she won't wake again. Husband and wife are equally devastated but the elder sister won't give up. The film ends up with the elder sister's haunting exhortations for Anjali to wake up from a never-ending sleep.I was 10 when I watched this film for the first time and I remember bawling my eyes out when it ended. So good were the performances of the three child leads, that they were honored with the National Award for the best child artist. That said, the film raises some uncomfortable questions: would real-life parents sacrifice so much to care for such an ailing child? Would society be kind enough to see beneath the obvious illness and appreciate a child for what it is? Your guess is as good as mine.An awesome effort.

There are 2 major aspects of this movie which makes it very interesting - 1. ManiRatnam's unique and brilliant style of movie-making, 2. Children.The movie actually reminds me of the novel 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'. And I should say that Mani has done a great job indianising the novel and making a commercial movie out of it.The characters of Jem, Scout and Boo Radley from the novel have been very well depicted in the movie.The brother-sister relationship (played by Tarun and Shruthi), different kinds of people in the colony, the scarily unseen neighbor(played by Prabhu) who is spied by the kids, how the society discriminates certain people (a mentally retarded sister in this case), how the 2 children take the brunt of their neighborhood kids ridicule and then learn to handle it - have all been very well depicted.Though the screenplay is not perfect and definitely not as good as ManiRatnam's other movies, you would still find it interesting and unforgettable. All the characters have been very well played (Credit goes to the director for getting it out of the kids). And not to forget the great music and great cinematography. Overall its a 'must watch' movie.

Its a film about kids and within them a mentally retarded kid. And it is Mani's version. If you like kids then you would like this movie. There were talks about the weak script. May be. And the finest part is the mentally retarded kid Shamili. Showing a really tough and pathetic life of a mentally retarded kid would be a realistic movie. But it needs lot of stress to reach common cinema going audience. Mani did it with his touch of perfection and poetic sense and a bit of reality. Out of all other E.T. stuff the thing that strikes the viewer is 'Shamili', the mentally retarded kid. I wonder how could he made shamili, then a small kid (just 3 yrs old), to act like a mentally retarded kid. And another maestro (who made me a fanatic about the songs of this movie when it was released) played his perfect role apt for this movie, is Ilayaraja. It came in 1990, the year dedicated for mentally retarded children. Good movie. You will enjoy it I bet.