Tourist Family Review - A feel-good entertainer that has its heart at the right place!

Ashwin Ram

Tourist Family is a family drama starring Sasikumar and Simran in the lead roles. Produced by Million Dollar Studios, directed by debutant Abishan Jeevinth and Sean Roldan is the music composer.

Premise:

Sasikumar, Simran and family secretly sail in a boat from Sri Lanka and dock in Rameshwaram. They end up renting a house in Chennai with Yogi Babu’s help who is Simran’s brother, how they survive after in the livelihood forms the crux of the story.

Writing/ Direction:

Keeping a Sri Lankan family who have illegally entered India as the core, the film is driven by the joys and sorrows of colony people, the skeleton reminds Radhamohan’s Mozhi. It is a crisp 2-hour movie which is mostly engaging, entertainment isn’t the only intention here, the key is to convey human emotions which is decently done with a lot of hits and a few misses. The opening episode situated at Rameshwaram is a cracker, it neatly establishes the situation of the family in a fun manner. Evokes laughter post that as well, alongside introducing a bunch of supporting characters who add great value in the later stages of the story. The entire first half is a slow and steady setup of how Sasikumar’s family is trying to settle in. Certain scenes are predictable and the sentiments appear to be distant, the entire Sreeja Ravi and Elango Kumaravel angle for example. The intention is to highlight how caring Sasikumar’s character is, but the portion is highly melodramatic and fails to click. On the other hand, there is a segment in the second half with the same intent, approached through an irresponsible youngster in the colony played by the director himself, though clichéd it is monumentally superior and works fruitfully. Well-scripted, there are many small moments that build the base and the filmmaker has made sure most points get a solid payoff as time passes, however there are some loose ends like the school episodes which could have been taken care of. The best scene of the movie is the lengthy one happening in the living room of Sasikumar’s house involving the whole family, it is so dynamic starting from the heated conversations that naturally transforms into this beautiful space of rejoice. Humour is carefully incorporated in the flow that ticks the commercial value checkbox. The portions that bring cops from Rameshwaram investigating about Sasikumar’s family are conveniently written, they lack tension despite the reasoning being right for the climax lead. But thankfully the finale uses the cinematic liberty factor perfectly and presents a clever ending, the noble touch in it is a clap-worthy one.

Performances:

Sasikumar has got that in-built purest soul personality which makes the situations relatable by creating a positive mood. Simran plays a housewife and enjoys a nice nostalgic theatre moment, but she doesn’t have any special characterisation to specifically mention. It is probably the reason for the absence of chemistry between the lead pair. The children characters in the film are rock-solid, the responsible elder one and the fun loving younger one, both the boys are super impressive. After a long time, Yogi Babu one-liners are hilarious and sure to reach a wider set of audiences. Way too many supporting characters, fortunately most of them increase the value of the content, the character writing is strong and the performances are apt too.

Technicalities:

Sean Roldan’s music is the backbone of the film, soulful songs set the mood and an earthy background score acts as the bridge between the screen and the viewers. Neat work by the cinematographer, does the needful by understanding the simplistic nature of the film. Gracefully edited and presented, especially during the emotional portions by smartly placing the callback shots.

Bottomline

A worthy idea with decent setups and heartwarming payoffs. Melodramatic pre-interval stretch and a crucial plot link being weak are the major shortcomings. Otherwise, it is a pleasing film with delightful comedies and touching emotions.

Rating - 3/ 5