Kalloori


Kalloori is a 2007 Tamil language coming-of-age drama film by director Balaji Shakthivel. The movie was produced by S. Shankar's banner S Pictures and the story was based on the college campus featuring debutant Akhil and Tamannaah. Audio was released under Shankar's own audio company S Musics; Promote by Softment. music was scored by Joshua Sridhar and lyrics were written by Na. Muthukumar. The film was dubbed in Telugu language as Kalasala. The film received positive reviews from the critics as well as audience and become a superhit. The film was inspired on a real-life incident of three college girls of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University being burnt alive in the 2000 Dharmapuri bus burning incident.

Plot

The film begins with group of students clearing weeds near a roadside tree. The scene flashes back a few years earlier in a bus with a lot of college students heading towards Government Arts College in a small town. A set – Muthuchelvan, Ramesh, Kayalvizhi, Adhilakshmi, Nagarani, Albert, Kaamatchinathan, Salima, Iyanar – are introduced as friends since high school. There is a small build-up to the introduction of the hero, who is part and parcel of the circle, a well-talented athlete; Ramesh- a big flirt and movie buff; Kayalvizhi- a strong-willed and courageous woman who hates the ideas of falling in love within friends; Adhilakshmi- a food lover; Nagarani- a Telugu speaking girl who gets fits when she is frightened; Albert- a Christian, always get abused by his drunkard father; Kaamatchinathan- a rich, yet timid person who even gets very shy to introduce himself to his classmates at the first day of college; Salima- A Muslim girl and very intelligent in both studies and talented in dance and Iyanar- a quirky guy. All are studying in the same class. They enter into the college for the first time.
In the classroom they see a beautiful girl Shobhana, who is strikingly different. She looks depressed and sad and aloof. The friends are puzzled by her in the beginning and later they learn she lost her mom recently in an accident. The group sympathizes for her and brings her into its fold. Shobhana soon becomes a member of their group and ditches her plans to pursue her course in Delhi. She simply does it to be with these friends during college.
The movie goes on to narrate the college life with fun and colour. It shows the strength of the friendship and the backgrounds of the friends; most of them are from poor families. Muthu has an aim in his life. Being an athlete, he wants to excel in sports and get a good job through sports quota to give his poor family a new lease of life.
Shobhana, who is from wealthy family background, feels sympathy for Muthu after she sees the conditions he and his family live in and is really moved by his perseverance and helps him achieve his goal by encouraging him in every chance. In fact as true friend many do the same and so does Shobhana. She even advises him that there is more he has to and capable of achieving in life so he should take her encouragements as a way to improve his career and nothing else. But eventually, her encouraging stance turns into some sort of special attachment with him. Slowly love develops in the minds of both but they chose to put it on the back seat for the sake of the larger friendship they share with the group. In fact, poor lovers don't even share their feelings.
Eventually, they take a college trip to Andhra. On the way, they stop at a hotel but there is only non-vegetarian food being served so Muthu volunteers to run to the nearest vegetarian restaurant a few km away to bring food for Shobhana who is a vegetarian. Shobhana confessed her love for Muthu to Kayalvizhi which she accepts it wholeheartedly and says that even though she hates the concept of love between best friends, she doesn't want to spoil Shobhana's happiness and true love. This conversation was overheard by Adhilakshmi. The latter says this to the rest of the gang, to their surprise and delight. But fate has other plans, the hotel they were initially eating at is urgently closed because some politician or another has been arrested. The group board the bus urgently and try to go to a collector's office or a police station to keep safe while two classmates wait for Muthu to come back. On the way, however, the bus is stopped by the protestors and despite pleas to allow them to pass, the protestors light the bus on fire. In a frenzy, everyone tries to evacuate the bus and Nagarani gets fits and has an attack. In a scramble to safely get off the bus, the rest of the group fail to realize that some students are still trapped. After the fire trucks finish putting out the fire, they bring out the burnt bodies of Kayal, Adhilakshmi and Shobhana, who have embraced each other in their final moments together-Kayal having stayed back to help Shobhana who's chudi had gotten caught in the bus.
The last scene flashes back to the beginning of the movie where a group of people are clearing the weeds. It has been eight years since the incident and every year the group of friends come to pay respects to their lost friends and Muthu still keeps the handkerchief of Shobhana's in the remembrance of their love.

Cast

Reception

Behindwoods stated that Joshua Sridhar's style evoked the period of the film and said that Na. Muthukumar's lyrics evoked a nostalgic feeling.

Release

The satellite rights of the film were sold to Kalaignar.

Critical reception

Behind woods stated that the movie works but its lack of action and dance numbers might affect its prospects at the box office. Indiaglitz said out that the climax scene was credibly portrayed but didn't fit well into the script.
After the film was released, Sakthivel changed the climax because of the negative reaction to a scene in the film which was reminiscent of a real-life incident where girls were burned on a bus.