Navarasa Review - This Anthology Is More Than The Sum Of Its Parts

Navarsa is an anthology series produced by veteran director Mani Ratnam and is based on the 9 aspects of human emotions. Anthology series is always a mixed bag, sometimes a few bad episodes drag down the quality of the entire show especially if the rest of the series is well made. Or if there are only a few good ones among a sea of mediocrity they struggle to shine. Thankfully Navarasa fall in the latter category.

The talent on display in the series is remarkable from directors, writers, actors, and technicians, overall the show is worth a watch however like any anthology this show has some well-crafted and fun episodes and a few episodes that lag behind the rest.

Episode 1 - Compassion

Directed by Bejoy Nambiar with a story written by Mani Ratnam. The episode follows a housewife played by Revathi and how her life changes one day when a young man played by Vijay Sethupathi visits her home. The story presented to us is how a lack of compassion can set off the cycle of pain and misunderstandings that ultimately hurts everyone involved. This episode has some emotional and strong performances from the leads and cast has great chemistry and is one of the highlights of the entire series.

Episode 2 - Laughter 

Directed by Priyadarshan, and staring Yogi Babu in the lead as a successful actor who returns to his high school to be honored for his accomplishments only to recall a story of how he failed the 10th standard exam four times due to bad luck. The story is light-hearted and funny and shows off a side of the director that has been missing in his later comedies, as it reminded me of his movies from the '80s, 

Episode 3 - Wonder

Directed by Karthick, episode three is a science fiction story and sadly falls in the category of bad science fiction. This episode is the weakest link in the entire series with plot elements taken from Nolan to Kubric and conspiracy theories from the history channel. The dialogue, if it can be called that, is divided between lines taken from Hollywood action movie trailers and the comment section of Joe Rogan's podcast. Sci-fi movies can be weird and wacky and bend the rules they don't need to be entirely accurate or hold up too much scrutiny but here it feels rushed and halfbaked like a rejected pilot of a bad sci-fi show.

Episode 4 - Disgust

Directed by Vasanth, the fourth episode follows an old man played expertly by Delhi Ganesh who is reluctant to attend his niece's wedding out of spite and jealously for his younger brother who is more popular and kind-hearted and is loved by the people of the village. This episode brilliantly showcases the ugly side of family politics in our country and how it ruins relationships. While the main character is sympathetic at times ultimately his actions reflect the title of the episode perfectly.

Episode 5 - Peace

The fifth episode directed by Karthick Subbaraj is set during the fighting between the Srilankan government and the LLT and follows a small unit of soldiers what starts as routine patrol soon ends up being a rescue mission. With some solid performances from Bobby Simha and Gautam Vasudev Menon, the director manages to show how quickly things change on the battlefield and how despite good intentions ultimately war leaves everyone to follow their baser instincts. 

Episode 6 - Anger

The sixth episode directed by Arvind Swami follows a young man who has been arrested for the murder of a local loan shark. The events that lead up to this conflict are shown through flashbacks. Sree Raan who plays the lead gives a spectacular performance. The episode feels like a throwback to the old 'angry young man' era of movies at least the ones that still stay with us which gave us a hard and gritty look at life and how the cycle of violence is neverending.

Episode 7 - Fear

Directed by Rathindran R. Prasad, the episode takes place when a young woman played by Parvathy Thiruvothu allows a young man played by Siddharth who visits her home mistaking him for someone she allows him inside. However, soon she realizes that the man is not he appears to be. The highlight of the story is how the director manages to incorporate various supernatural elements into the plot while not overly relying on them. With strong chemistry between the leads, this episode is engaging to the end.

Episode 8 - Valour 

Directed by Sarjun KM follows a group of commands who are tracking a cell of Naxalites. Atharvaa plays the role of Vetri is a new officer who is idealistic and eager to prove himself. The movie switches between the past and present with Vetri's mission taking place in the past and his now pregnant wife waiting for him to return home. The story borrows some inspiration from the movie Roja. Unfortunately, his one needed more time in the oven and feels rushed and does not hold up if more time was taken to flesh out the characters this could have been something special.

Episode 9 - Romance

Directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and starring Suriya and Pryaga Martin in the lead the story follows a struggling music composer who meets a singer and falls in love. The story is very familiar with moves like A Star is Born and Aashiqui 2 having similar elements and chemistry between the leads is forgettable at times and nonexistent in others. There are times when the episode feels like a Youtube tribute to previous films by the director so it has nostalgia going for it overall it's a forgettable love story.

Navarsa is more than some of its parts, and the stories that truly stand out showcase not only their titles but all the aspects of the human emotions.