POPCORN REVIEWSS

There is a clever ‘implied’ wordplay with the title Madras Matinee – that indicates the whereabouts of the middle class. Usually ‘matinee’ refers to a play or film that is played out in the morning or afternoon, that may have been introduced to lure the middle class in at lower rates. Immediately, the financial strata becomes the focal point of this story, that is set in Madras (Chennai), and revolves around a middle-class family. And one of the most interesting aspects of the drama remains its characterization. When you are introduced to Kannan, on the surface of things he is living a mundane life as an autorickshaw driver. His wife Kamalam (Shelly Kishore) is a silent homemaker, taking care of the family and feeding them their timely meals. His younger son Dinesh (V Vishva) whiles away his time on reels even as he tries to fit into an ‘aspirational’ version of his generation. And his elder daughter Deepika (Roshni Haripriyan) who silently works in another city to aide her family. But these characters are far more complex than they appear to be on the first glance!

The writing slowly chooses to deep dive into each character. There is something about the eldest child and the silent sacrifices that it needs to make, that essentially formulates the character of Deepika. A little stroll down memory lane tells you that she is an average joe, not great in studies but always with a strong moral compass. In a scene, you see her phishing out two of her classmates for misbehaving in the classroom, even while her gentle caring nature kicks in, in the very next moment when she voluntarily buys each of them a biscuit. But as is the case with every growing up girl, the inferiority stems from the fact that she is dark-skinned, and often subjected to racial slurs that affects her self-confidence. Her situation worsens when Dinesh is born, an event that would soon distant herself from her family and parents – a fact that you notice in the current timeline when she reluctantly goes to meet her potential marriage prospect without her family.

Dinesh is a typical Gen-Z kid who spends most of his time on his phone while trying to woo the girl of his dreams. He has a little dog Brownie to accompany him, whom he briefly contemplates on ‘replacing’ with a cuter labrador, just for the attention. He is clearly the more pampered on the two children, a trait that is reflected in the fact that he isn’t learning nor too keen on studying further. There is an immediate sense of reluctance when his father wishes to apply for a study loan. You could also term Dinesh as an extension of Ragavan (Pradeep Ranganathan) from Dragon (2025), who doesn’t particularly have an aim in life, often being oblivious to his parents’ sacrifices, thereby making his journey a coming of age in many ways.

Kamalam remains the silent ‘thankless’ unsung hero of the family, resenting to her fate of taking care of her family and feeding them from time to time. Interestingly, her character remains the most calm and forthcoming to her children, sharing a relatively warmer bond with Dinesh, and also dearly caring and pondering about Deepika. In a heartfelt scene, you witness her character telling Deepika to strive to be an independent woman while not worrying too much about her marriage (that is clearly weighing down Deepika at that point). You often don’t really focus on Kamalam who goes about her duties in the background, and it tells you so much about how you are programmed to perceive the silent unsung hero at your place too. Guess the importance of that ‘hero’ would only be felt when she isn’t around anymore!

Kannan remains a heartfelt character through and through. Just like all fathers, he remains largely unexpressive, not because he doesn’t care, but more because men aren’t taught to express. In the words of the voiceover that pops up, Kannan lacks the guiding light in his life, even as most of his life is consumed in fighting irrelevancy! It just epitomizes a large generation of the men of the country, who don’t necessarily have a motivation to look forward to everyday, but they keep toiling hard to prosper their future generations. It is just how men are programmed to me – bearing and bearing and bearing, mostly misunderstood and distant from their families, ironically to prosper the very beings along the way. No wonder you see him distanced emotionally from his children, often being gullible to the advice from strangers, and having no one really to celebrate his smaller victories. In a heartbreaking scene, you see him driving a car independently for the first time, a victorious feat that he wishes to share with his daughter, only for her to cut his call during the process (who in turn is programmed only to think that her father would only call for her marriage purpose).

The entire screenplay is written like a novel, broad-stroked on the surface but deep and complex as you dig deeper. The fleeting yet important commentary on the generational gap that almost acts as an undercurrent for Kannan and his children is so well explored. It doesn’t takes sides by villifying children like in Baghban (2002), nor does it accuse the protagonist of the lack of accountability towards his children. It remains balanced, exploring both sides but never siding with one. Some fleeting moments of casteism are wonderfully integrated in the drama even as you witness Deepika taking a stand for herself during a potential prospect meet. Or an emotional Deepika sharing a heart to heart conversation with her boss who is fighting her own demons. Or even the brief politics of the land, wherein you see Kannan taking a stand for his wife and son for the first time by slapping a government official for his carelessness and low blows to his family.

The inherent sweetness in the drama can be gauged from the fact that the same kind of situations can easily be extended to any other characters from the city, even as millions pour onto the streets and carry on with their daily lives. And time actually flies for the middle class even without realising, a sentiment that you do feel when a character exclaims on how Deepika was a kid only yesterday, and now she is on her way to a life of independence. Yet, the drama is about offering perspectives and bridging the gap between generations. In a moving scene, a voiceover tells us on how the family is probably sharing the last meal together, even as life won’t be the same again. And it is moments like these that the middle-class people can relish, something that is away from the chaos and imitating smaller celebrations in the form of invisible victories. It remains an adventure that is so easily blurred in the wake of mundane lives, and that summarizes the screenplay that is beautifully penned!