Lubber Pandhu review: Tamil cricket film with a big heart pays homage to 'Lagaan', 'Chennai 600028' (2025)

'Lubber Pandhu' (Rubber Ball) review: When a film has good emotional elements with a winning plot of cricket (that pays due homage to 'Lagaan' and 'Chennai 600028') you know what that means. It means you’re in for a theatrical experience that is instantly engaging, entertaining and endearing. 'Lubber Pandhu' (Rubber Ball) is quite unpredictable in terms of filmmaking and plot points as well. Now that’s a lot to get from a debutant filmmaker, right? Well within a few minutes of its screen-time, 'Lubber Pandhu' makes us root for both its protagonists. Again, this is a lovely feat of filmmaking that is also a product of intelligent, good writing. The heroes are respectively (and strategically) given a skill each. One of them is an ace batsman (Poomalai also called Gethu on the ground, which means heroic in a way) and the other is an ace Yorker-bowler from another town, Anbu (the name means love). ‘Attakathi’ Dinesh and Harish Kalyan play Gethu and Anbu, respectively, and their performance makes us take to their characters with much empathy. Gethu and Anbu have a good many years between them and it lends a believable generation gap that’s underlined with the choice of yesteryear and current film songs played for them when they enter the playground for tournaments. The choice of songs to play by their respective cheering squads also reflects an aspect of how the game is important to the viewers (inside the screen and us) apart from the fact that these two are deified as local heroes. The flavours of a small-town life flow splendidly throughout the film as writer-director Tamizharasan Pachamuthu also pays a terrific homage to late actor and politician Vijayakanth with wonderful hand-drawn images on banners, walls and Gethu’s bike sticker, along with songs that have remained evergreen.

The larger takeaway from 'Lubber Pandhu', however, rests in how small-town people need not be small-minded people; how the might of a man does not rest in how much money he has and how his classiness lies in how he treats a fellow human being and not by merely born in a particular caste. The film also treats caste differences, ageism, misogynyÂas a progressive layer that is weaved into the narrative where we see a problem arise and we also see its solvable end. The focus is on the game yes, but the story is also a character-led drama that makes you see how a game can either break or unite diverse groups (the latter more). If unity is not the most important result of playing a sport, then what is?!

'Lubber Pandhu'Âreview: Anbu (Harish Kalyan) isÂa huge Chennai Super Kings fan in the film - hisÂhouse is painted yellow, with 'House of CSK fan' printed on the facade in bold letters.

'Lubber Pandhu' (Rubber Ball) plot and trailer

(Contains spoilers) Cricket - the one true unifying emotion of our country - is winsome entertainment for the townsfolk in Cuddalore district, for all except Gethu’s wife Yashodha who tramples the playing field with her tractor (Swasika Vijay in a feisty performance) in the opening scene thus telling us of the conflicting road ahead. Yasodha is the alpha person in her household, and she is always seen attending to some work or the other (like most women) or driving a bike between places she has to visit for her chores. She hates the irresponsibility in men (not just Gethu) that comes from being addicted to playing a sportÂjust to become a local hero. The film also shows how much the women work around and for their men. The game too is filmed with as much love and attention, and this balance of viewpoints keeps our eyes on what each of the characters are going through even when the game hits its crescendos.

There are two kinds of love stories in this film – Gethu and his wife, and Anbu and Durga (Gethu and Yashodha’s daughter; the reveal-scene keeps us on the edge with a smile) – and both are narrated with much empathy for the women.

It’s a delight to watch the various kinds of women in Tamizharasan’s universe, and all women have an agency of their own. A strong yet vulnerable mother-in-law (Geetha Kailasam), a supremely bold mother (Swasika) and an equally fiery daughter (Sanjana) apart, there is also Akhila (the budding cricketer who gets her moment by playing with the boys and winning the qualifying match towards the climax) and Anbu’s mother (played by the inimitable Devadarshini) who is critical yet supportive of her son’s passion for the game, unlike Yashodha.

There are the men on either side - Anbu’s sharp friend Kaathaadi played with much aplomb by BalaGanesh who tells Karuppaiah (the man whose love for cricket makes him go from pillar-to-post seeking sponsorship to make the matches happen, a tailor-made Kaali Venkat) that he should stand for Anbu “as a brother” and not merely “like a brother” (as the local team refuses to take-in Anbu because he comes from a backward community). There is also Gethu’s man Friday played to “alcoholic perfection and enough situational malice” by a popular Coimbatore YouTuber Jenson Diwakar. This is a cast that has been thoughtfully put together with faces that are either familiar or not-so familiar to create the maximum impact for their roles.

The family equations, the older and younger romances and the headstrong ego clashes between Gethu and Anbu take the film several notchesÂup from being just another sports drama. The male-ego when hit can turn one into a raging dragon and this is also seen in the opposing team captain Venkatesh and his fuel into the Gethu-Anbu fire is doused to some extent by Karuppaiah who brings the ace batsman and bowler to play for the same team for the big face-off. We expect a sports drama where the hero’s team ends up winning but here the win is of a different nature. Anbu’s team loses the battle but ends up winning the war (against discrimination) and paves a way for the new generation to have enough confidence in their sporting talent.

I also liked how the film kept the whole drama within the district tournament level and made it a story of people playing the game because they simply love cricket. There is also this wonderful shot where a younger player of a lower caste is taken by the opponent team as they need a player of his calibre and he acknowledges how he became a cricketer inspired by Anbu. The film’s ‘messaging component’ kicks-in in the post-climax segment only, but this tiny bit can be passed on as the whole film otherwise shows us a lot of “standing up for the overall good” without being preachy. Tamizharasan displays a clear sense of mainstream entertainment that is also equal parts ‘idealist statements’ but it’s all handled like a whiff of cool, fresh air in a sultry summer heat.

'Lubber Pandhu' (like all sports films) is replete with fan tributes to cricketing icons like Virat Kohli (the lad in the bus who take his name is a hoot), Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and of course Anbu himself is shown to be a Chennai Super Kings fan whose house is painted yellow with the players’ faces on the walls. The cricket commentary must be lauded separately for the humour that flows from the commentator during the hectic games. The one-lines and other jokes also land well, giving us a sense of ‘what all and who all’ from public life are referenced by the townsfolk with much glee (example: Karuppaiah asking his house to be painted with Ganguly lifting the trophyÂat Lords). The game of cricket is a metaphor used with much greater meaning to the game of life, and in both places, the male ego is of zero use specially when riled up. Anbu’s sole nemesis is Gethu and his apology to the older man comes midway into the climactic corker-ball game. Gethu’s own rise to the top from hitting a low point in his batting form is filmed with much admiration (the hark-back shot from the first scene of the film reminds us why we love cinema as a form of storytelling).

A key scene in the second half has Kathaadi questioning Anbu as he selects Akhila (Karuppaiah’s daughter, a hat-tip to ArunrajaKamaraj’s film 'Kanaa') for his team. Anbu says that Kathaadi’s discrimination of a woman is no different from their opponent Venkatesh’s discrimination of them because they come from a lower caste. The applause in the theatre was heartening to hear.

The dialogues sound like a natural progression of character and not as a forced expression of ideology, the scenes and plot points move smoothly giving us a peep into each household in that town. Music by Sean Rolden shines more as a background score (the songs aptly used for story-telling montages) and the cinematography (Dinesh Purushothaman), editing (Madan Ganesh) and other technical aspects of the film come together quite beautifully. The fact that Anbu once had a crush on his girlfriend’s sister-in-law is a much enjoyable track and here again; without much ado, there is no moral high ground taken.

This is a film where the older generation have studied in co-ed schools (as Karuppaiah has a sponsorship scene with his classmate Thendral) and ran away to have an inter-caste marriage. Parents live by being an example of acceptance and not as an example of conflict, even though Gethu and Yashodha have their niggling differences on the sport. The Tamil language contains immense lyrical and nuanced quality for rhyming sentences and impactful humour and Tamilazharasan’s writing shows a great penchant for the same.

As a friend who came along with me for the film said, “Harish Kalyan reminds us of Suriya on-screen, no?” I agreed wholeheartedly. A greater innings awaits this much-talented actor whose simple, natural charm along with intense acting talent makes 'Lubber Pandhu' a winner.