Marina review

Directed by Pandiraj
Produced by Pandiraj
Written by Pandiraj
Starring Siva Karthikeyan
Oviya
Music by Girishh G
Cinematography Vijay
Studio Pasanga Productions


Colourful and catchy tale
Life in the shores of Marina beach offers aplenty. It speaks about the culture of Chennai. The travails of innocent children work in the shores and various faces that we see daily on the shores are dealt in detail by Pandiraj. Pandiraj had proved his mettle in handling serious issues with a feel-good script and the likes of Pasanga and Vamsam are pointer to it.
In Marina, with a bunch of children, he has given what could be termed as Slumdog Millionaire of Tamil cinema. Pakoda Pandian plays the lead role, while the likes of Siva Karthikeya, Oviya, Jayaprakash and the rest play around him.
Story
*********
Ambikarathy (Pakoda Pandian) comes to Chennai and Marina beach beckons him. An orphan, he resolves to work in the shores and starts selling sundal. His circle expands. After enmity, he wins the hearts of children working in the beach. They live life their own way.
An old man (Sundararajan) and postman (Jithan Mohan) turn friends for
these children. Also parallely a love story between Senthilnathan
(Sivakarthikeyan) and Sopana Sundari (Oviya) is narrated. The beach provides the common link between the two stories.
Their romance reflects the one we see in daily life these days.
There are twists and turns. But the movie harps on a strong message that the child labourers should be given a formal education for a better tomorrow.


It is young Pandian's show all the way. He is right there giving his best. A bunch of young children give life to their roles. Siva Karthikeyan's witty humour and one-liners wins our heart. Oviya has very little to do on screen. Watch out for Thatha Sundarrajan and Jithan Mohan who walks away with applause. A cameo by Jayaprakash is worth a mention.
Debutant cinematographer Vijay and music composer Girish does give their best. They are like flesh and blood to the story.


It is a tight walk for Pandiraj. he has achieved his best without falling into commercial cliches. Educating young children will usher a better tomorrow. It is what the movie conveys. Three cheers to Pandiraj for achieving it. Though a documentary feel could not be avoided, Marina is worth a watch.

Rating :4/5