Annapoorani Review – Chef de Messy
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Hot damn, what an overstretched khichdi this was! Directed and written by Nilesh Krishnaa, “Annapoorani” is supposed to be about a young woman’s fight to pursue her dreams of becoming a top chef, but it morphs into a pretentious prattle of confused ideas and mediocre jokes. Actor Nayanthara, in the titular lead, is the strongest ingredient of this muddled recipe, with the creators insisting on labeling her as ‘lady superstar’ (twice, in big bold letters) at the beginning, as if calling her simply a superstar would be an affront to her male counterparts.
Okay, let’s talk plot – Annapoorani Rangarajan is a special girl born with enhanced taste buds and a penchant for food. She lives with her family in the temple town of Srirangam, and her father cooks the prasadam for devotees in the main temple. When she expresses her desire to enroll in a culinary course and become a chef, her orthodox vegetarian family rejects the idea as it would involve her cooking meat. Undaunted, Annapoorani secretly enrolls in the course, and thus begins her journey to becoming a professional chef, which is fraught with challenges.
The cinematography captures the various food flavors of Srirangam, from mouthwatering temple payasam to fried fish on the streets. However, despite several food shots, the creators aren’t able to make you hungry for whatever it is that Annapoorani is cooking. Food is supposed to be the hero of this tale, yet it somehow feels like a side-dish, with emotional aspects of the tale getting more space. For example, rather than standing up to her father as the independent adult she aspires to be, Annapoorani chooses to run away from home on the day of her wedding. She then attempts to rent herself a place in a bigger city, where she manages to secure a job at the hotel where her idol and India’s top chef, Chef Anand Sundarrajan (played by Sathyaraj), works. A significant sub-plot involves her rivalry with Chef Anand’s son, Chef Ashwin (Karthik Kumar), a petty and egotistical man who cannot stand a woman besting him.
I don’t understand this weird trope in movies where the protagonist simply walks up to their dream company and throws a tantrum about wanting a job, without so much as a resume in their hands (or bags). It was the same case in the Malayalam movie “Sesham Mike-il Fathima,” which shares a similar theme of a woman fighting her family to pursue her dream of becoming a football commentator and then expecting to land the job by showing up at relevant people’s doors without as much as an appointment. And then with some luck on their side, their dreams become reality.
“Annapoorani” is excessively self-indulgent and pompous, placing its protagonist on a pedestal through exaggerated scenes that are designed to make them appear overly cool. The climax is as clichéd as clichés go, and an awkwardly inserted religious element feels far too contrived within the storyline. Unless you are a super-fan of lady superstar Nayanthara, it’s best to skip this fare.
Rating: 4 on 10. The film is available on Netflix.
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