Vasudevan (Sarathkumar), an accountant at a Chennai load company, lives in a rented house with his wife Shanthi (Devayani), son Prabhu (Siddharth) and daughter Aarthi (Meetha Raghunath). The family nurtures a collective dream of buying a home, making savings schemes toward this goal. But middle-class struggles drain their resources. '3 BHK' chronicles their two-decade journey of perseverance, navigating hurdles to achieve their dream.
Sarathkumar's restrained performance moves us to tears through his weary, tormented body language that deeply affects viewers! This is arguably one of his finest performances to date. When he breaks down, 'Enna maathiri aaydathappa' (Don't become like me), the Supreme Star embodies the sacrifices reflecting our household elders. Siddharth authentically captures the young generation's struggles and pain, showing remarkable body language variations across different life phases. His portrayal resonates with youth running against their own will. More power to you, Sid!
If Dravid and Dhoni references suit the father-son duo, then Smriti Mandhana befits Meetha Raghunath's performance. Leading the family in the first half and her reaction to domestic violence in the second half became the major highlights. Though Chaitra J.Achar has limited first-half presence, she becomes the main pillar of this '3 BHK' in the second half. Her love chemistry with Siddharth melts beautifully during the ice cream bell scene. Devayani delivers well as Shanthi, while Yogi Babu's brief cameo charms. Overall, every performance serves as a quality foundation for this 'House'.
From narrow rented walls to spacious dream house imaginations, cinematography by Dinesh Krishnan and Jithin Stanislaus impresses to the core. They masterfully manipulate light to suit different periods. Editor Ganesh Siva preserves their elegant frames flawlessly, accomplishing the challenge of showcasing twenty years without distraction. Music director Amrit Ramnath weaves melancholy through background scores, while songs as montages flow seamlessly. The 'Saravana' movie poster, bilingual public examination papers, and disorder of partly constructed houses... Vinod Rajkumar's art direction makes perfect sense.
Director Sri Ganesh captures the middle-class dream that a house is not merely bricks and cement, but also the bond and love of the people living in it. Through family sacrifices, relationship strength and human determination, the film speaks the reality. This isn't merely a house-buying story but about perseverance and relentless pursuit.
Situations like tuition fees, medical expenses, and marriages reflect every middle-class household's story, allowing universal identification. 'You are a Dravid fan, I am a Dhoni fan' carries profound meaning, so does the dialogue regarding domestic violence. Though the story remains mostly male-centric, Aarti breaking the glass bottle shatters that limitation as well.
While most scenes flow realistically, the protagonist's transformation into a 'mechanical engineer' violates logic, even if it is a mere wish fulfilment. Similarly, the preachy message of 'buying a house is buying respect' could have been avoided.
Overall, `Vasudevan & Family' welcomes us warmly with strong performances, technical excellence and a realistic screenplay.