After making films like Achchamundu! Achchamundu!, Nibunan and Peruchazhi, director Arunachalam Vaidyanathan is back as a director. This time, he is helming a film for kids that centres around four friends and their love for their furry four-legged pet Max. To make a film for kids is like going up on a slippery slope. They can either land too well or worse, easily go down the drain, but the director sure knows his craft and handles this delicately.
Cast: Venkat Prabhu, Sneha, Kailash Heet, Praniti, Poovaiyar, Yogi Babu and Sivaangi Krishnakumar.
Director: Arunachalam Vaidyanathan
The story of Shot Boot Three is quite simple like its characters. It revolves around the lives of four kids – Kailash (Kailash Heet), Pallavi (Praniti), Ballu (Vedanth) and Ramana (Poovaiyar) who grow up in and around a sprawling and ‘prestigious’ apartment. When Kailash’s pet dog Max goes missing the four children join hands to search for Max and bring him back home.
While the tales of dogs and their humans have been around as old as time, what is refreshing in Shot Boot Three is the treatment of the story by director Arunachalam Vaidyanathan. When Kailash and the gang go in search of Max, a police officer gives them a ridiculing look but goes on to says, “Adhu kidaichurum,” Kailash politely tells him that Max is not “adhu” but “avan”. In another scene, Ramana asks Kailash if he only cares about the well-being of Max and not about other dogs who are suffering around him. The compassion and kindness for animals have evidently proliferated in recent years, becoming irreplaceable family members in many households. In the words of Delhi Ganesh from the film, “Ungalellam paakum bothu, I feel the dogs are in safe hands.”
In the entertaining first half, there is an inconspicuous dig at how in the hustle and bustle of life and work, technology takes over and kids experience loneliness without a companion. Shot Boot Three gets a lot of things right. A poignant scene I remember from the film has Kailash asking his parents if they want to treat him like a child or an adult given that they sway both ways depending on the situation. It is the kind of scene that gets a big yes from the audiences, who have an unhealed inner child. Also, I quite liked how the film points out that parents encourage children to have prejudices against strangers, by asking their kids not to trust them.
It is the second half that fumbles and has its hiccups. Ballu is shown to be fat and he is body-shamed for that in several scenes. Pallavi points at his obsession with superheroes and says, “Nee Hulk illa Bulk.” He has a redeeming arc of course, and he courageously faces his fears in one scene, but that could have been showcased without shaming him in the first place.
Sneha, who is acting after a gap of three years is always shown to be grumpy and a strict mother of Kailash. Her character is unidimensional and weakly written. On the flipside, I quite liked Venkat Prabhu’s camaraderie with his son although it lasts only for a few minutes.
Sivaangi Krishnakumar finally gets a character role that is not a ‘loosu ponnu‘. Yogi Babu falls into an arc where there is not much scope for him.
However, animal activism is not as uncomplicated as it is shown on screen. ‘Pet’ Revathi might have been able to easily get a stay order or file court cases in the snap of her finger. But often, judgements in these cases don’t see the light of the day. They are also not taken seriously. Shelters for animals have either been overflowing with wounded animals or don’t have the necessary funds to run the institution or pay their doctors. We are also aware that Max goes missing before Deepavali, but the film easily brushes away the topic of how distressed animals get during the festival.
The events leading up to their mission to save Max are mired by several random events. It works in building up the narrative but feels that they are placed for the sake of it.
Shot Boot Three walks on a tightrope and often gets too dangerously close to becoming a moral story for kids, but whenever that happens, it instantly takes a detour and changes gears. What works heavily in favour of the film is Rajhesh Vaidhya’s impressive music and background score. It is safe to say that he has hit it out of the park in his debut.
Shot Boot Three may not be a film where you would hoot, cheer and whistle for the characters or throw confetti at. But director Arunachalam Vaidyanathan gives us a story that leaves us all warm and fuzzy as the credits roll. These kids may have delivered outstanding performances that warrant awards, but ain’t it heart-warming to see the little ones stand together for what is right?
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