Putham Pudhu Kaalai

The five short films of Putham Pudhu Kaalai talk about hope, love, and new beginnings in the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

On 30 September 2020, Amazon Prime Video India, had announced the film, which features five segments by five different directors.[3] The title of the film Putham Pudhu Kaalai is based on the song of the same name from Alaigal Oivathillai (1981),[4] whereas the titles for the segments Ilamai Idho Idho and Avalum Naanum were based on the songs from Sakalakala Vallavan (1982) and Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada (2016).[5] The film was shot in compliance with rules and regulations set by the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) for filming during the "Unlock" phase.[6]

The film's background score were composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, Nivas K. Prasanna, Sathish Raghunathan and Govind Vasantha, whereas the soundtrack album for the film were composed by Kumar and Vasantha respectively. The title track of the film, sung by G. V. Prakash with lyrics by Kaber Vasuki, was served as the film's lead single. It was launched by actor Suriya,[7] on 7 October 2020, along with the film's soundtrack album.[8][9] The album features six songs including the title track, with one song composed by Govind Vasantha, and rest of the songs were composed by G. V. Prakash; the lyrics for the songs were written by Kaber Vasuki and Madhan Karky and the vocals were rendered by Prakash, Bhavani Sre, Bombay Jayashri and S. P. B. Charan.[10]

Putham Pudhu Kaalai was released through Amazon Prime Video on 16 October 2020.[11][12]

M. Suganth of The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "Puthum Pudhu Kaalai doesn't leave you with the heady feel-goodness of Sillu Karupatti, with parts working better than the whole, but still, it is a step in the right direction for anthologies in Tamil cinema."[13] Srinivasa Ramanujam of The Hindu wrote that, "Amazon Prime has had a few average outings with respect to Tamil cinema in the last few months. However, they now seem to be making all the right noises with ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’".[14] Ranjani Krishnakumar of Firstpost gave 3.5 out of 5 stars for the film, saying, "The films of Putham Pudhu Kaalai are relatable and moving only because the filmmakers stuck to narratives they knew well. But that is all the more reason that we, as an audience, should demand films are made by filmmakers of varied backgrounds".[15] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 2.5 out of 5 and stated "Putham Pudhu Kaalai is easy on the eye and mind but largely devoid of any radical breaks from the tried and tested."[16]

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 2.5 out of 5 and stated "Putham Pudhu Kaalai consists of five shorts made by a bunch of well-known directors. The lockdown and its impact has already been seen in many similar efforts by filmmakers around the world. But despite some perky moments here and there, this anthology remains mostly blah."[17] Karthik Kumar of Hindustan Times stated "The Amazon Prime film is an anthology of five shorts, the unifying factor being the coronavirus lockdown. Each explores a different theme. Except for Subbaraj’s Miracle, it is hard to connect with the lockdown effect in any of the stories."[18] Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute gave 3.5 out of 5 and stated "Putham Pudhu Kaalai is a fun weekend watch. Mostly steering away from the cliches of the big screen, this is indeed 'putham pudhu' storytelling for the Tamil audience."[19] Karthik Keramalu of The Quint gave 3 out of 5 and stated "Putham Pudhu Kaalai, unlike last year’s Kannada anthology Katha Sangama, isn’t made up of hugely varying narratives. Nevertheless, it’s watchable and pretty enjoyable!"[20]

Behindwoods gave 3 out of 5 stars stating, "Putham Pudhu Kaalai, is an anthology of feel good, positive stories."[21] Sify gave 3 out of 5, stating, "Putham Pudhu Kaalai is a very average anthology. The main issue is that, having been made by eminent filmmakers, this one is not up to the mark."[22] Janani K of India Today gave 3.5 out of 5 and stated "Putham Pudhu Kaalai is a delightful anthology that makes you realise the worth of relationships in your life."[23] Vivek M of Deccan Herald wrote "The shorts are enjoyable but the conclusion of four films seems contrived. This is where Karthik Subbaraj’s Miracle, the final short film, stands out."[24] Nandini Ramanath of Scroll.in stated "An epoch-altering epidemic might be raging, but hope, happiness and a new world are round the corner, Putham Pudhu Kaalai suggests, not always convincingly."[25] Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote "The film falls into the general mood of this anthology: pleasant but generic. A lot of it is very broadly directed, almost like a big musical number. The musical score is even bigger: it “acts” more than the actors."[26]

• Putham Pudhu Kaalai at IMDb