Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum (Tamil, 2016)

Nalan Kumarasamy backs his Soodhu Kavvum with yet another film that has a peculiarly fresh treatment which makes it work in spite of all the shortcomings and clichés in the basic storyline. He, very effortlessly, enters into the worlds of the nondescript characters he has created in this film and makes us realize their haplessness.

Vijay Sethupathi’s choice of films and roles is going to making more and more heroes envy him and the fact that he delivers them all with panache is what makes him special! Here, as the lazy Kathir, he wins us over with his smirks, ignorance and humour. Madonna should be happy to have received a plum role in her first tamil outing and she makes full use of it, putting up a fine show as the confused optimist Yaazhini.

The film’s unsung hero has got to be its screenplay which really goes like a river cutting corners at places and sailing quietly and deeply at others. There are some hugely intense conversations which are pulled off so lightly. For instance, the pre-climax scene where Kathir mercilessly slaps his assistant (whose character is so well defined with just a few shots for him in the film) asking him to quit and go, creates a conflict within us of what we feel about the protagonist and elevates the character. Such things are a rarity in our films these days.

Santhosh Narayanan provides a delightful background score and the bit songs that accompany some scenes bring about a smile in us. The energetic Ka ka ka po number is shot to some inventive choreography.

Dinesh Krishnan’s camera-work could have avoided a few of the irrelevant slow-mos but the deliberate shakiness of the frames make some of the scenes work. Leo John Paul ensures the film doesn’t sag a lot despite its running length and the fact that it revolves primarily around only two people.

The situations created for the comedy like the family meeting in Vizhupuram and the Interview sequence (the last one, not the tastelessly placed first interview scene) are hilarious but the scenes that lead to them lack creativity and are disappointing. Also disappointing are the exaggerated stereotyping of the IT industry.

The family of the heroine is shown to be so lenient that you wonder why there is so much of fuss about her trying to first escape and later avoid letting them know the truth. It might seem insignificant but that’s the engine on which the whole film runs on and it’s difficult to let that distracting question pass by.