Plot
In 2011, in Perambalur, a young cricketer named Anbu was denied to join the "Jolly Friends" team due to caste-based discrimination. Undeterred, Karuppaiya, the team's captain, intervened and allowed Anbu to play against the rival team, "Sachin Boys," led by their star batsman, Poomalai, aka Gethu, an avid fan of Vijayakanth and a skilled painter, had previously worked in Dubai. Despite being included in the team and being a talented bowler Anbu was not given a chance to play, prompting him to leave the ground in frustration, accompanied by his friend Kathadi. Following the first innings, Gethu's wife, Yasodhai, arrived at the cricket ground, enraged, and ploughed the pitch with her tractor to deter villagers from inviting her husband to play cricket again.
10 years later, in Cuddalore, Anbu is an ardent Chennai Super Kings fan, owns a sportswear shop in Tittakudi. Though he a well talented all rounder, Anbu's desire to join the "Jolly Friends" team is consistently being thwarted by Venkatesh, Karuppaiya's brother. So Anbu plays as guest player for multiple teams in and around Cuddalore, and has a very good reputation for winning games. He falls in love with Durga, a trainee nurse, after meeting her at a marriage function, unbeknownst to Anbu, Durga is Gethu's daughter.
Anbu is invited to play as guest for a team and witnesses a 40-year-old Gethu smash bowlers in another clash After the match, Anbu criticises Gethu's outdated cricket techniques to his friend Kathadi, which is overheared by Gethu's cousin Kozhandai and eventually conveyed to Gethu. Gethu belittles Anbu as a young amateur and leaves. This hurts Anbu's ego. Weeks later, while going to meet Durga's family Anbu is caught midway by another team who call him to play as guest immediately. Anbu agrees as he comes to know that their match is against Gethu's team, and his family go to meet Durga. As Anbu faces off against Gethu in the match he is mocked by Kuzhandai and gang repeatedly. But Anbu bowls him out in his first over, and silences the crowd. This hurts Gethu's untouched ego and he immediately leaves the field. Three days later Anbu discovers that Durga is Gethu's daughter when visiting their home. Though he tries to make amends it does not work and days later they cross paths once again in the final of the tournament hosted by Gethu's team. Anbu's team bats first and scores well. As Gethu's team chases it, everyone except Gethu loose their wickets easily to Anbu's tricks. Gethu scores nicely against Anbu, but in the last over of the game Anbu gets a chance to man mankad Gethu and win the match. As Gethu realises this and turns around, Anbu's ego come to play and he refuses to mankad Gethu, giving him a warning through the Umpire. Gethu's pride is shattered and he walks away from the field, giving the win to Anbu's team. Post the match Kozhandhai's taunts about Anbu's exclusion from "Jolly Friends" sparks a fierce retaliation from Anbu. Gethu, already seething, engages Anbu in a dirty brawl. Durga intervenes, slapping Anbu and ending their relationship while Yasodhai, fed up with Gethu storms off and moves to her mother's place.
Kathadi informs Karuppaiya about Anbu's humiliation, and so Karuppaiya includes Anbu in the 20th-anniversary celebrations match, despite team members' objections. Venkatesh's refuses to include Anbu and the team votes Karuppaiya out. The duo maks Anbu form a new team, "Adengappa 11 Per," and vows to triumph over "Jolly Friends." Karuppaiya, his daughter Akila, and Gethu swayed by Anbu's clever ego-stroking make him join the match.
In their debut match, Anbu's brief stint at the crease ended in dismissal, but Gethu's determination was evident. Though he lost his wicket, Karuppaiya and Akila's stellar partnership secured a thrilling victory. Gethu's mother consoles Yasodhai, and so she reunites with Gethu. However, Yasodhai confronts Anbu's mother, criticizing Anbu's focus on cricket as a waste of time, similar to her husband. Anbu confronts Durga, but she replies that her father's acceptance is important while also rebuking her family for arranging marriages and vows to wait until her parents accept Anbu. She further confronts her father accusing him of letting his ego hinder his acceptance of Anbu.
In the semifinal match, Gethu struggles, but Anbu's crucial assistance secures victory, advancing them to the finals. Anbu apologizes to Gethu for past mistakes. Meanwhile, Yasodhai plans Durga's engagement, prompting Anbu to request Venkatesh to reschedule the match, but Venkatesh demands a public apology, putting Anbu in a dilemma. Torn between stopping the engagement and playing the final match, Anbu attends the engagement. Venkatesh, fearing the backlash from a possible loss recruits a strong batsman Prasanth who is also from the same caste as Anbu. This angers two of his team mates since Caste is the sole reason why Anbu was repeatedly rejected by them. In the final, Adengappa 11 start without Anbu, bat first and loose 5 wickets for 30 runs. Gethu decides the salvage the team and enters without any protective gear. He taunts the opposition team to accept this and enters into his style. Gethu single-handedly scores 94 and puts a massive total in the first innings. Durga trusts that Anbu will arrive and send him back to play the match. Anbu joins his team for the second innings, but they narrowly lose but finally, Anbu and Gethu reconcile.
Weeks later Karuppaiya and rest of Adengappa 11 reach another tournament where they see a Jolly boys team with members from all castes together. It is revealed that Anbu intentionally lost in the last ball, prioritizing the inclusive spirit of "Jolly Friends" cricket team, which now has players including Prasanth, regardless of caste or religion and revealing that such a change is the actual victory than any match win. Anbu and Durga get married, and Asodhai asks both Anbu & Gethu to promise that they will refrain from Cricket, to which they make a farse promise.
Reception
The film received widespread acclaim from critics and audience.
M. Suganth of The Times of India rated the film four out of five stars, praised the writing, cinematography, and performances of the lead cast, and called the film "The year's most wholesome entertainer". [15] Anusha Sundar of OTTplay gave it four out of five stars and opined that "Lubber Pandhu is a superbly crafted sports drama that cleverly entwines family drama to sportsmanship." [16]
Avinash Ramachandran of Indian Express wrote that "Efficient writing and convincing performances makes Lubber Pandhu a truly terrific issue-based film that ensures bitter pills are swallowed, but not before a dollop of honey is given on the side". [17] Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote, "Lubber Pandhu is a breath of fresh air and a refreshing addition to the ever-growing list of films on cricket; so much so that we can call it a whole new ballgame." [18]
Kirubhakar Purushothaman of News18 rated the film four out of five stars and opined that "Lubber Pandhu leaves you with a fulfilled heart and a well-fed mind that comes after watching a brilliant cricket match, where both teams gave it their all. It is hard to define sportsmanship in absolute terms, but seeing Lubber Pandhu one can get it." [19] Sudhir Srinivasan of The New Indian Express wrote that "It has the soul of a sports film and the mind of a well-crafted drama. It approaches these cricket portions like it were a romance." [20]
Sruthi Ganapathy Raman of The News Minute wrote that "Lubber Pandhu is a film where gully cricket commentary fills the ears, men use the paint on their house to depict team loyalty, and for a change, the bride’s parents assert dominance over the groom’s. It is also a film where cricket isn’t just cricket, but an analogy for something much bigger." [21] Nakkheeran critic stated that "Moreover, this film 'Rubber Bandhu' has been a pleasant surprise success for the viewers as it gives us a feeling similar to what we felt while watching the movie Chennai 28 and the extent to which it gave us an impact." [22] karthi Kg of Puthiya Thalaimurai rated four out of five star and wrote that "This rubber ball is a good sports movie to watch with family." [23]
