Review of “Oh Butterfly”

Crafting a thriller with a circular narrative is always a challenge. While debutante writer and director Vijay Ranganathan does fall into the trap of digressing between the introduction and conclusion, the end result lingers with the viewer long after the film ends.

Gouri (Nivedhitha Sathish) is fighting the ghosts of her past and trapped by the ghosts of her present. Intervention by her sister, Ranjani (Lakshmi Priya Chandramouli) seems to be ineffective, but Gouri has to confront her past in order to face life. In the process, some interesting truths about life, decisions, repercussions, faith and control come to the fore, not only for the characters in the film, but for the audience as well.

The introduction and conclusion of the film is brilliantly crafted, especially given the limitations of a circular narrative. The middle suffers because of a rapid drop in pace and the illusion that the film has a predictable conclusion. This drop in pace affects the overall impact of the film, but there is enough in Vijay Ranganathan’s script to sustain audience’s attention.

Nivedhitha Sathish handles the complex role of Gouri to perfection, emoting to accurate degrees and ensuring that realism dominates her performance. 

Attul R, who plays Arjun, may not have the most endearing character to portray, but he puts heart and soul into his performance, shining the brightest in the last 30 minutes of the film.

Ciby Bhuvana Chandran does full justice to the role of Surya while award-winning actress Lakshmi Priya Chandramouli shows that the screen time of a character does not determine the impact of a performance.

Nassar, in the role of Sagaayam, is the pillar of the film – It takes a classy and talented actor to transform a supporting role into one that dominates the film.

Geetha Kailasam is once again impressive in the unusual role of Soda Butti Kizhavi.

Vedaraman Sankaran’s cinematography has numerous highpoints from unsual angles, creative framing and some marvellous indoor lighting.

Vaisakh Somanath’s background score is outstanding, but his songs are less than impressive.

Vijay Ranganathan must be praised for the strength of his characterisation and his exploration of an unusual concept in thriller.

Oh Butterfly is suitable for Adults Only and scores 6 points out of 10,