In a country like India where cricket is an emotion, there’s no dearth of films on the beloved sport. From biopics on some of the best players the game has seen, to using cricket as a backdrop for a heart-warming underdog drama, several iterations of the game have been explored. Now with Lubber Pandhu, director Tamizharasan Pachamuthu sheds light on the rubber ball cricket tournament culture prevalent in the deep pockets of Tamil Nadu, and intricately weaves an intriguing narrative around it.
Some films blow your mind with a distinct story set in a completely new backdrop while others narrate a simple, straightforward story but work thanks to the way its elements come together; Lubber Pandhu is a textbook example of the latter. In the film, Anbu (Harish Kalyan) is a small-town guy and a gifted bowler who crosses paths with Poomalai a.k.
a. Gethu (Attakathi Dinesh), an older, much-revered batsman. A series of unfortunate incidents trigger their egos and their on-field rivalry spills into their personal lives.
.. only for it to hit a crescendo when they learn that Anbu is in a relationship with Gethu’s daughter Durga ( Sanjana Krishnamoorthy ).
Attakathi Dinesh and Harish Kalyan| Photo Credit:Special Arrangement Films on ego and interpersonal relationships seem to be working well for Harish. He ended last year with a bang thanks to Parking, where his character faced off against a fellow tenant, played by the veteran MS Bhaskar. In this film, his rivalry is with Attakathi Dine.