‘To-Let’- a captivating tale of a family’s search for a rented house

By Mythily Ramachandran

This national award winner directed by Chezhiyan has been globe- trotting and winning acclaim

Cinematographer turned director Chezhiyan’s debut film ‘To-Let’ is a realistic portrayal of the predicament of a family of three who go house hunting after their landlady issues them a month’s notice to vacate.  

Winner of 32 awards including India’s national award for ‘Best Tamil Film’ last year, ‘To-Let’ is marked with evocative moments, eloquent visuals and standout performances by the lead cast.   

At the film’s outset, we meet this family of three-Ilango (Santosh Sreeram), Amudha (Sheela Rajkumar) and Siddharth (child actor Dharun) who have returned home after an evening at the beach. Amudha quickly changes into her home gown, tunes in the radio and gets dinner ready. Ilango also changes into his lungi and clears the clogged Indian styled toilet. Siddharth fondly called Siddhu baits his father into a game-he mimics a lion out to devour a rat-his father. That picture of contentment inside this dimly lit ordinary house with walls marked by the child’s crayon art is a beautiful portrait not easily forgotten. Life looks good until Amudha is summoned upstairs by the landlady. When she returns home seething with anger, it finds its outlet on Ilango-whom she had asked to keep a watch on her cooking-Ilango has left the dosa to burn on the stove. We soon learn that the landlady- a rude woman who treats Amudha shabbily- has asked them to vacate.  

Ilango, an aspiring director is yet to make his first film. He works as a writer in an ad company. It’s tough making ends meet. Amudha who cautiously manages household accounts suggests they go house hunting on their own instead of relying on a broker. They can cut down the broker’s fees. 

Every morning the family sets out on Ilango’s rickety scooter -that frequently has a starting trouble. Thus begins an ordeal of meeting house owners-some questioning them on their religion, some preferring ‘only vegetarians’ and if everything else is good, the quoted rent –with the IT boom in Chennai-exceeds their budget.  

Tiny details and poignant moments enhance Chezhiyan’s narrative and through his telling frames shot often in natural light, he has you invested in the lives of Ilango and Amudha. You feel their pain when the landlady without prior notice brings in prospective tenants disregarding their privacy; you feel sorry for Amudha when she describes her dream home; you are relieved when they finally find a suitable house; and you laugh with them when Dhruv asks his parents to join in his game of ‘house hunting,’ where he plays landlord. Like a fly on the wall, you can’t help but eves-drop on their life.

Chezhiyan proved that a story can be told sincerely without the trappings of cinematic frills and the tropes of commercial cinema. Lead actors Santosh Sreeram and Sheela Rajkumar share a lovely chemistry as Ilango and Amudha-bonding over intimate moments with an Ilayaraja song in the background and holding differences just like any married couple.

Sreeram, an accidental actor assisted Chezhiyan for ten years as cameraman. And, on his acting debut he reveals immense potential.  Sheela a stage actor slips into Amudha’s shoes with great ease. Child actor Dharun is a natural-his Siddhu is adorable. Moments touching your heart include a scene where Siddhu is trying to erase his drawings on the wall-his mother is angry and has asked him to clean it up before they vacate. And, when the child picks up his drawing sheet crumpled and thrown by the landlady, it leaves a knot in the throat.  

‘To-Let’ is a film that speaks from the heart.