Rail Movie Review: A story lost on the tracks

Rail Movie Synopsis: Muthaiah, an electrician and alcoholic, feels his world slipping away as migrants from the north take his jobs. He’s got a wife who despises him and a neighbour, Sunil, who he despises in return. What is the dynamic that plays out between the three forms the crux of Rail.

Rail Movie Review: Initially titled “Vadakan”, which got rejected by the censor board, Rail follows Muthaiah (Kungumaraj) in a village somewhere near Madurai. The opening scene itself shows him passed out among the bushes, but like clockwork, his buddy Varadhan (Ramesh Vaidya) arrives to pull him into their daily drinking routine. Muthaiah’s wife, Chellama (Vairamala), hates him more and more when he comes home wasted every day. They have a neighbour Sunil, a worker from Mumbai, who is nice and hardworking. Muthaiah thinks that all these migrants are the source of his woes, and he can’t stand the sight of Sunil. To cut to the chase, Sunil dies in a bike accident and Muthiah’s story is all about his decline and eventual redemption.

There’s a mismatch in Rail. Muthaiah is portrayed as a good-for-nothing drunkard, yet the source of his woes are outsiders? That’s fine if the intention was to show entitlement, but then his arc has a soft spot with the whole fatherhood angle. Like, the guy has a drinking problem, that’s it. There’s plenty of chances to find work and make things right with his wife. His blood alcohol level won’t let him function as a normal human being. And that’s pretty much all we see of Muthaiah in this film: drinking and whining. We barely know anything about how migrants displace locals, as the only worker we follow is Sunil.

The film’s a bit monotonous. You go from a shabby home where the couple and Sunil live, to the bushes and a watering spot off-road where Muthaiah and his buddy drink daily. There’s not much to read between the lines. What you see is what you get. Same vibe and no substance is not a good mix. As mentioned, they tried to give Muthaiah a redemption arc in the second half, but it’s messed up by how quickly his wife and father-in-law forgive him for stealing Sunil’s money. You’re just unamused.

Kungumaraj and Vairamala did what the script asked, and they’re solid. Ramesh Vaidya’s screenscape is decent and some of his comedy lands. Theni Eswar has captured a few impressive scenes. Janani’s music is adequate.

Rail is a social-drama that doesn’t have a start or a destination to even derail. The movie goes down some road and you’ll still be wondering what it all means after watching it.

Written By: Abhinav Subramanian