Kutramae Thandanai (Tamil, 2016)

Cinematographer/ Director Manikandan follows his impeccable Kaaka Muttai with an investigative thriller (which was actually the film he worked first on) that only has some treatment-wise similarities with the former. The Polanski type character formation and story-telling he takes us through should be refreshing for Tamil audiences.

With an interesting screenplay (carved by Manikandan & Anand Annamalai) that is backed by well-defined characters and smartly placed cues which we ‘wow’ at when we realise they were there to (not?) be seen , Kutrame Thandanai is another solid winner from Manikandan.

Vidharth, who plays the protagonist Ravi suffering from a peculiar focal issue of the eye, delivers a fine show with a neat restrained portrayal of a man rooted in peculiar forms of trouble and guilt – It would have been easy for him to be carried away and do more than needed to show the character’s struggles with sight but he doesn’t!

A limited yet effective ensemble plays its role in keeping us guessing with Nasser, Pooja Devariya & Rahman gaining prominent space on screen and in our minds. In Ilaiyaraaja’s background score, scenes establishing the murder sequence & the games played by the parties involved are elevated.

The film’s editing (by Anucharan) remind you of the director’s Kaaka Muttai (edited by Kishore), especially during the establishment of characters. Cinematography induces the claustrophobic effect the film wants you to get a sense of, as you travel alongside Ravi and his tunnel-vision.

The film’s other major highlight is how very effortlessly it presents to you some layers within –  Some very important ones (revealing anything on them would be spoilers) and some pondering on different social issues like the existence of Organ black-market, Hospital mafia, Customer fraudulence in credit cards, customer number pilferage etc.

There definitely are logical questions with how there could not have been no more than a single witness, especially on the suspicious lifestyle of a girl in a middle class neighbourhood – which the film relies on significantly to put its story forward