Direction-- great by all, writing--excellent, acting-- good , Music-- great, cinematography-- outstanding, makeup and costumes-- great, production design--good Overall heart touching stories with pleasant visuals, soulful music and superb performances.

Good Movie. Everybody acted well in the movie. Songs and BGM in the movie were not good. Some stories were interesting and thrilling. Some stories were so boring and lagging. Good Movie.

Putham Pudhu Kaalai turned out to competently made, given the expertise of the directors helming it, but some of the storylines didn't exactly require a lockdown backdrop and would have worked fine as standalone shorts. The anthology starts strong with Ilamai Idho Idho, featuring Jayaram, Kalidas, Kalyani, and Urvashi. While it's about two senior citizens rediscovering love, there's novelty in the way it's presented: through the eyes of their younger selves. It works due to the cute chemistry that both the young and senior actors share, and while not too layered, the generally breezy nature of the narration helps.

The second story Avarum Naanum - Avalum Naanum is about a grandfather and a granddaughter reconnecting with each other after many years. Once again, Gautham Menon resorts to using voiceovers, not trusting his ensemble to let the relationship and its nuances unravel on its own. It does get better, thanks to a stunning Ritu Verma and an ever-dependable M S Bhaskar. The story doesn't peak, yet has its beautifully emotional moments. The circumstances of the lockdown don't really add to the story though.

The third story Coffee, Anyone? is my least favorite pick. On paper, this story must have sounded truly heart-warming. But on screen, it appears rather dull. The lockdown is of no consequence to the plot. There's a heavy dose of melodrama and a lot of ideas (like the youngest daughter running away from home, the oldest daughter's son being dyslexic, and late pregnancy) that are only briefly touched upon. The performances too, feel a little forced.

The fourth story Reunion sees two college friends (one, a doctor with a super progressive mom, and the other, a bar singer) Sadhana and Vikram, unexpectedly reuniting at the latter's house because of the lockdown. When Sadhana's coke addiction is exposed, it doesn't write her off as an unrelatable person. Rajiv, instead, takes a more informed stand at the whole thing and tackles it better than most filmmakers would. That closing freeze-frame was a nice touch!

The final and most interesting story among the lot, Miracle is directed by Karthik Subbaraj. This is the only story that moves out of its indoorsy comfort zone and revolves around a couple of thieves and a struggling filmmaker. With quirky dialogue and a funny last-minute twist, Miracle benefits from the bromistry between Bobby Simhaa and Sharath Ravi. It also stands out as the only story that veers away from the upper-middle-classness of the rest.

On the whole, Putham Pudhu Kaalai is a mixed bag, but thankfully one with more positives than shortcomings.