IDHU KATHIRVELAN
KADHAL – Some may love him some may not!
Cast & Crew:-Udhayanidhi Stalin as Kathirvelan, Nayantara as Pavithra, Chaya
Singh, Santhanam as
Mayilvaganam, Saranya Ponvannan, Sunder Ramu, Vanitha Krishnachandran,
Aadukalam Naren, Maylisamy.
Direction,
story & Screenplay: -
S.R.Prabhakaran, Music & BG Score-Harris
Jayaraj, D.O.P.-Balasubramaniam,
Studio-Red Giant Movies.
Maelae Maelae – Lyrics-Thanmarai, Singer-Karthik 4.46mins, Anbae Anbae-Lyrics-Thamarai,
Sung by-Harish Raghavendra,Harini 5.44mins,
Sara Sara Saravedi- Lyrics-Yugabharathi, Sung by-KK,Srilekha,MK Balaji,4.27mins Vazhiye Vazhiye-Lyrics-Thamarai,
Singer-Aalap Raju 6.05mins, Palakku
Devathaiya, Lyrics-Yugabharathi, Sung by-Jassie,Velmurugan,Jayamoorthy 4.43 mins. Total duration of songs: - 26.05
mins.
The story, backdrop and setting (Screen
play), the story opens in Madurai but
see saws between Madurai and Coimbatore. Udhayanidhi (Kathir) being an ardent
Hanuman devotee is a confined bachelor who practices celibacy to the extreme. His
father (a character similar to that in the film ‘Emdan Magan’) is totally
against the very concept of falling in love (irrespective of colour, caste or
creed). His daughter is the first sacrificial goat to this weird, mad hatter
principal of the outdated father. In fact the father goes to such extreme
limits to prove his aversion to falling in love that he punishes himself and his
family to live like recluses and outcasts. The father also happens to be a
living incarnation of ‘Harichandran’ and speaks the whole truth and nothing but
the truth. (So help me god!). Saranya (Kathir’s mother) is once again for the
nth time the (formula) doting wife and mother (Emdann Magan). Kathir lies to
his father and travels to Coimbatore in an attempt to reunite his estranged
sister and brother in law. In the bargain he ends up breaking his 20 year
hiatus as a Hanuman devotee and is forced breaks his vow of celibacy as he
falls hopelessly in love with Nayantara (Pavithra). Santhanam enters the fray
as the long lost classmate of Kathir and how he helps Kathir in his passionate pursuit
of his dream girl overcoming all kinds of obstacles including a moron of a
villain (Gautham) forms the rest of the story.
The ‘STAR WARS’ Climax The father and son hug each other
just to prove to the whole world that the father/son love is eternal and no
force on this earth can break it!
Acting: - Udhayanidhi Stalin as Kathirvelan, it has been a while since
I saw this actor on the wide screen and to my dismay I really didn’t see much
of an improvement in this film. I wonder why he chooses these stereo typed and insipid
roles. Is it because he lacks in confidence or is it by choice I really wonder!
It is high time Udhayanidhi started looking at roles which will help him
further his career as an actor. For example, something similar to what Shawn
Penn assayed in the film ‘Milk’. He also has to stop these slow motion dance
movements and improve his dancing skills. He, in my humble opinion, should get
out of the comfort zone which I somehow feel he has boxed himself in. His ‘boy
next door’ looks alone will not help him to further himself. He has to strive
hard and better his acting talent if he intends playing a long ‘Kollywood’
innings.
Nayanthara as Pavithra,
She is clearly Tamil cinema’s “Barbie”
doll, if one ought to describe her! She is endowed with almost the perfect
figure that the director can dress her up in any costume let it be a mini
skirt, a frilly gown, a sari, or even the most garish, outlandish and bizarre
costume and she will carry it with ease and aplomb. She has an air of lazy
elegance about her which makes her even more desirable to her fans and viewers.
This is where the problem lies; she is never really forced to perform and
therefore gets away with just smiling sweetly or by simply showing off her
dimple. The director is so taken in by her and fails to use her talent as an
actor. As in this film she will probably continue in the same vein until age
catches up with her and sadly it may be too late then to exhibit her acting
prowess. In this film too her role is sadly that of a glamour quotient and
nothing more!
Santhanam as Mayilvaganam,
he is the ‘Mayil’ (peacock) on which his buddy Kathir (another name for
Lord Muruga) is supposed to ride on! In this film it is the other way around.
He rides over everyone else, the hero, heroine and all the other actors. This
actor always excels when the hero depends more on his looks rather than performance.
In this film too this is the case as in the film ‘Boss Engira Bhaskaran’. His ‘Vikada
Kavi’ tongue twisters and funny quips keep the viewers engaged and it helps
lessen the lag and slack in rather ordinary fares as this one!
Saranya Ponvannan as Kathir’s mother has played this
character so many times in the past that one tends to lose count of these
roles.
J.P. Chaya Singh,
Sunder Ramu, Vanitha Krishnachandran, Aadukalam Naren, have played
characters which are straight out of a Tamil TV serial.
Mayilsamy as a mimicry artist has done a role
like the one Hindi actor Mehmood did in the film “Padosan” with slight
modifications to suit this time and age.
D.O.P.:- Balasubramaniam has used the
camera adequately though at times his technique, lighting and even locations
remind you of K.V.Anand.
Music: - Harris Jyaraj is highly successful
in spite of reusing his own tunes or simply lifting tunes from other films as
he has continued in the same vein in this film too. I am quoting a passage from a music review
from a leading daily to highlight this point:-
“The backgrounds and tune of Melae Melae immediately remind
of you of Kadal's Yele Keechan, but Harris gets Karthik to sound his best in this
foot-tapping song. Harish Raghavendra and Harini get a slow melody in Anbe
Anbe, which revolves around the quintessential stock Harris musical phrase that
he has used umpteen number of times………. Srinivasa Ramanujam -Music Review
TOI.Feb 7th 2014”
His BG scores are also repetitive and one is forced to accept
such standard fares from this M.D.
Art Director: - V.Selvaraj has replicated a lot of
backdrops from films made by Director Shankar.
Edit: - Adequate and nothing more!
The one’s that worked:
- SANTHANAM’S HUMOUR! Reduced slack and lag by at least 30 mins if not more.
The one’s I found
wanting 1) TV Serial
opening(Hospital) 2) Gautham breaking into the house to give a
B’day gift ( Film-Aasai) 3) Nayantara
with make up while sleeping and after a bath 4) Flash back followed by another Flash back 5) Udhayanidhi constantly
playing around with his coolers 6) Chance
meeting of Kathir and Gautham and conversation being heard by everyone in the
restaurant 7) Chance meeting of
Nayantara and Kathir in the sister’s house 8)
Fight over Geometry box etc felt like a humour filler included due to lack of story content.9) Gautham slurping and drinking the
soup (it fails to gel with Pavithra’s class) 10) A multitude number of cliché scenes and archaic dialogues 11) Udaynidhi’s inhibitions while
acting in romantic scenes with Nayantara (looks forced) 12) Eavesdropping across the road and hearing each other’s
dialogues (farfetched). 13) Villains’
portrayal 14) Too many scenes on
Motor bikes and scooters 15) Yellow
flowers falling while Nayantara is on the scooter (like a Ponds dream flower
ad) 16) Playing an English song
inside the car (Gautham & Nayantara)
Finally to sum it all
up, a quote: "As for as Udhayanidhi is concerned if given 3 wishes the
next time, he should go for a script, a director & an interesting
character"
Left right & Centre:
- A popular and talented actor was sitting to my right-“Not bad! It is a time
pass kind of entertainer”
A family was sitting on
the extreme right: - “We like it”
A set of 5 (an MBA, a
CA, and IT Professionals):-Looked at his friend on his left and smilingly
announced “I am not going to pay my friend the ticket money. It is bad”.
Bottom Line: - "...the only
things missing are a script, a pulse, and a reason why."
Until next time,
Director Haricharan
Chennai
14/02/2014
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