HARIDAS- A poignant tale of a father’s dreams for his son

For each and every child, his/her father is the first hero,” reads the tagline of G.N. Kumaravelan’s new film Haridas.

For a start, this story breaks the norms. It does not open with a hero introduction song. Instead it introduces us to Sivadas, an encounter specialist on a mission to nab gangster Aadhi.

He may be a tough cop tied to his job, but Sivadas, a widower, does not hesitate to take leave from work, in order to bring up his only child, Haridas, an autistic child.

He attends classes with son and on the advice of Dr Ravi, a specialist; he tries to find Haridas’ strength, and a meaning to his life. Not an easy job as any parent with an autistic child will agree, what with society’s apathy towards such children and an insensitive school management to battle with.

Kumaravelan deserves plaudits for choosing to tell this story and for his excellent casting. Kishore as Hari’s father is excellent matching every step with Sneha Prasanna, in the role of a school teacher who grows fond of Hari. Child actor Prithviraj Das is brilliant, another pat for the director.

Delightful humour breaks the seriousness of the story, be it in the scenes with Dr. Ravi (Yugi Sethu) or the children in Hari’s school. What seemed totally out of place in this heart-touching tale was an item number, vulgar and crass.

Yet, the message is clear, every child has his own strengths, including autistic children and parents need to delve into their minds and discover that one thing, which will anchor them to their life.