A few days ago I had watched and reviewed an anthology film Forbidden Love on Zee5. There is something about the anthology films that tends to draw you and get attached to the stories or on the flipside not connect with them at all. So, it is a highly risky genre. And the show continues as there is another Anthology film in town, this time in Tamil called Putham Pudhu Kaalai shot entirely during lockdown and having lockdown as a backdrop in each of its 5 stories directed by 5 celebrated filmmakers. And so here we go with the review in our fixed anthology template, in order of the stories played out onscreen.

#IlamaiIdhoIdho – A story of longing of an elderly couple, both now living without their respective spouses, who have been in love and finally meet and turn the clock around, till lockdown strikes. A heartwarming tale with a pretty engaging screenplay, this one had a smile on my face throughout. Director Sudha Kongara has done a fine job here to keep things breezy. Jayaram as Rajiv and Urvashi as Lakshmi have such an infectitious chemistry together. Kalidas Jayaram as the younger Rajiv and Kalyani Priyadarshan as the younger Lakshmi also have done a great job and I really want to watch more of them in the future. MyRating : 3.5/5!

#AvarumNaanum/#AvalumNaanum – A story of a girl who visits her grandfather during lockdown, who has been a loner after a family conflict. Another story with a human touch and with an emotional screenplay. Director Gautham Menon tackles the human emotions deftly and comes out a winner. Ritu Varma as Kanna looks so pretty and has done a great job and someone I wish to watch in the future too. Ms Bhaskar as Thaata is such an endearing character that you fall in love with him instantly.
MyRating : 3.5/5!

#CoffeeAnyone – A story of a mother bedridden in coma and two of her daughters paying her a visit while the third one stays aloof. The screenplay is heartwarming and also might be relatable for a few. It adds to the list of feel good stories in this film. Director Suhasini Maniratnam has excelled here and again the human emotions at the end come out well. Shruti Haasan, Suhasini and Anuradha Hasan all have done a great job here.
MyRating : 4/5!

#Reunion – A story of a chance encounter between two lost lost friends. The story here is good but the screenplay is slightly forced here, a few things didn’t really add up at the end. Director Rajiv Menon has done a good job to keep things light in a slightly dark topic. But I wanted to see a little more of their back story. Andrea Jeremiah is such a good actress, I honestly am her fan and she is phenomenal here. Gurucharan too lends good support here. The acting more than makes up for the screenplay flaw here!
MyRating : 3/5!

#Miracle – The best is reserved for the last. Not revealing the story here but this story is different from the other four with an element of surprise at the end. Excellent screenplay as well that will make you laugh and keep you engrossed throughout. Director Karthik Subbaraj has done an excellent job here. Bobby Simha, Sharath Ravi, Muthu Kumar all are in top form here and make sure that the movie ends on a high!
MyRating : 4.5/5!

This film is a feel good anthology, bracing its arms around you and giving you a warm hug. The year that has been, films like this will surely uplift your mood. Another green tick in the anthology genre. Putham Pudhu Kaalai available on Amazon Prime and Highly Recommended!