Can you make a reasonably absorbing thriller that runs for just about 10 minutes (9.51 seconds to be exact) and still keep the viewer glued? “Quite possible,” director Santhosh Krishna and story writer Vimal Athimoolam seem to say. ‘Ponn,’ released online by Bench Culture, which is feverishly promoting technicians and performing talents through short films, has backed this Stallion’s Team production. We gather that it is based on a true incident. The perplexing part is the submission that the concept is inspired by Ilaiyaraja’s sound track, ‘Growl,’ from the album, ‘Onaaiyum Aatukuttiyum’!
The actor who plays the protagonist (is the name Prabhu?) is an apt choice. His expressions and the nuances that come with them evoke a smile.
A petty thief happens to eavesdrop on a conversation over phone, where the speaker talks of ‘Thangam’ (which in Tamil means gold) being kept at a particular address. The person informs the listener at the other end that it would be safe to enter the house at 9 p.m. The thief decides to go for the kill three hours earlier. What awaits him at the house is somewhat guessable. Yet Santhosh and Vimal show promise in the manner they have scripted the short and planned the shots (editor's name not given).
Raghav Srinivas’s background score helps accentuate the thrill element and also stays with you for a while. I still seem to be humming the music that comes with the credits that roll in the end!
