Even with a theme fertile enough for sermonizing, the film thankfully never does that. Harisankar’s Maaran looks more human and believable as the man opposed to casteism. The inhumane practice carries no utility to his life, he is focused on giving his father some rest and a decent life for his teen sister. Maaran is not some idealistic individual, despite occasionally quoting leaders. The film works in spaces where Maaran (from the oppressed community) and an elderly Communist (from the oppressive community) try to calm nerves on either side and pitch for unity, reminding them of the fact that, at the end of the day, people of both communities are daily wagers.
On the other hand, the antagonists suffer from a lack of depth in their characterisation. There is this moustache-twirling antagonist, Jai (Bremnath), who uses his passion for asserting his caste’s dominance as a cover for his negligence towards his debt-ridden family. We see a similar picture in Karnataka, where Jagan (Pugazh Mahendran), takes pride in being a footsoldier to a radical Kannadiga leader, due to which he fails to take care of his widowed mother (her husband dies in a riot supporting the leader). These scenes demonstrate how twisted ideologies turn people into mindless supporters who fail to take care of their families. The scenes in which the two characters are forced to face the harsh reality are arguably the biggest high points in the film. Ezhil also wonderfully demonstrates how even women soft-pedal discrimination, though they mostly stay passive in the male-centric caste divide.
However, the biggest problem in To be prepared is Ezhil’s compromise on the Communist ideology in order to play to the gallery. Parari was in line with the Communist ideals up to a point where the male lead says, “Neeyum coolie naanum coolie, namakkulla enna mela keezha”. The film makes an argument that North Indians are taking over the jobs of Tamils, leaving the natives jobless. The argument, irrespective of its validity, runs counter to the Communist idea and discriminates against one set of pararis (or migrant workers). The film also oversimplifies the Cauvery issue by showing how the Hindi-speaking people incited the conflict by becoming Kannada leaders of the pro-Kannada movement, ultimately playing agents of division between Tamils and Kannadigas.
To be preparedfor a decent amount of its runtime, is stuck to its core ideology of discarding all the man-made divisions. Barring some unhelpful subplots, information overdose, and occasional departure from his political standpoint, director Ezhil Periyavedi has made an impressive debut.
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