Erumbu Movie Review: Inadequate world-building, predictability makes this a middling film 

The much-celebrated Kaaka Muttai (2015) was the story of two young kids, who go to great extents to dig their teeth into a slice of pizza. In many ways, Erumbu (2023), is not all that different, except that the siblings here want to earn money to save themselves rather than appease a craving. While it definitely had the ingredients of being the Kaaka Muttai of its times, Erumbu becomes just another run-of-the-mill film because of its inadequate world-building and the sheer predictability of it all.

Director: Suresh G

Cast: Charle, MS Bhaskar, George Maryan, Monika Siva, Shakti Rithvik, Susan

Erumbu revolves around Annadurai (Charle) and his family of six, who all work towards repaying a debt they owe an unscrupulous loan shark (MS Bhaskar). Right from the beginning, we are given scene after scene to acquaint ourselves with this world. We are informed that Kamalam (Susan) is actually the stepmother of Pachayamma (Monika Siva) and Muthu (Shakti Rithvik) and that their biological mother has passed. We are made to understand the importance of a gold ring, which would become the root of all issues soon after. However, this world-building stops at the surface level, and the cracks begin to show around the interval point. While a lot of the actions of the children revolve around their fear of their stepmother, we don't really understand what Kamala did to push them to their limits. Similarly, the film tries to milk a lot of emotions from the brother-sister sentiment. Yet, the speciality of their bond is not really justified, and the emotional segments just become all the more unrelatable. 

Another character in the film that gets a raw deal is George Maryan, who plays a role quite similar to the one he played in Deiva Thirumagal (2011). The writing lets him down, and the situational comedy revolving around his character falls flat eliciting little to no laughs.

Although economical on the run-time, Erumbu is burdened by its usage of one too many songs for putting the wheels on the narrative. The film has around five songs, all of which break into montages to show how far along the children have come in their attempt to earn and save money. While the songs are initially aesthetically pleasing, the quantity of them just makes the film tiring. But composer Arunraj's true potential comes through in his background score for Erumbu. If only the setting up of the story was convincing enough to compete with the heavy violin stringing in important scenes, the emotions would have been elevated a lot more. 

20 minutes into the film and the plot of Erumbu comes to your mind like it is a story of your own. The film isn't really ambitious and is satisfied in reaching places that you know it would. While there is a comfort in keeping our minds away from thinking ‘What next?’ the predictability stops Erumbu from reaching the possible heights. 

The film is based on the proverb, ‘Erumbu Oora Kallum Theyum’, which means the persistence and hard work of an ant can even break the strongest of rocks. Erumbu pits the positivity of children against seemingly insurmountable odds. They never give up and their hard work lays the foundation for something big. Albeit predictable, it has its moments, especially the scenic visuals, a fresh air of optimism, and a heartfelt story of a small family. If this Erumbu had persisted a bit more, probably we too would have relented and given it a bit more leeway, but for now, all we can say is the film is just a middling watch.