Kaithi

When I witnessed ‘Managaram’ a few years back, I was blown away. The story had all the commercial elements, was logical, and played out like a charm. That reiterated that saleable movies bank on good writing and a gripping narrative rather than big stars. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj came into the limelight through such a film.

With Kaidhi, Lokesh has been upgraded to direct a bankable star like Karthi. Naturally, the budget of the movie also has been scaled up. The script, too, therefore, has undergone a makeover. As per the director, the script was written for an actor like Mansoor Ali Khan in mind. So naturally, some tailoring has been made to fit in Karthi’s image.

The movie is about a prisoner, Dilli (Karthi), who gets released after ten years and is gearing up to meet his daughter, whom he has never seen since she was born. However, he gets pulled into a melee between a cop and a drug mafia. Did Dilli meet his daughter at the end, or did fate have other plans?

The entire movie was shot at night as the story takes place within a single night. Right from the word go, the film did not lose track of the pace, and that laid the foundation for the audiences to lap up the mass moments - some believable and some not so credible. It also helped the audience to ignore some basic logical questions like why even a single member of the mafia didn’t use a pistol and instead fight with a knife and get butchered by the one-man army in the process.

Karthi has the macho charisma to hold such roles intact throughout. He has the innate rugged and rural outlook in his personality that always helps him get into the skin of such characters. He has done full justice to the role and has been the face of the movie’s commercial mileage. Also, this script needs such a star to make the unbelievable scenes look more real and closer to life.

Narain, as the helpless cop, has underplayed his role to perfection. George Maryan plays a freshly appointed constable at the police station that gets deserted for a night. He plays the role of an underdog so effectively, and his theatrics looked so convincing on screen. The youngsters who help the lone constable in the police station were also good selections, and the emotional angle towards the climax worked.

Arjun Dass and Raman, as the villain’s sidekick, were menacing. Harish Uthaman as ‘Adaikalam,’ the kingpin had nothing much to do, but his looks conveyed the fierce outrage within. The young guy who travels along with Karthi was a refreshing change from the regular comedians, and his wacky lines went well with the flow.

The background score by Sam CS was compelling and added to the thrills and chases that played out well on screen. Cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan is a praiseworthy love of labor as the lighting conditions could have been challenging as the entire movie has been shot at night. Philomin Raj has employed equally paced cuts that have not hampered the pace at any point.

The emotional angle of the father-daughter relationship acts as a perfect undercurrent for the narrative. With all its mass moments and some genuflections for the star (one-man army), the movie stood tall in delivering the goods. It was well-paced, engaging, and pinned the audience to the seat. For director Lokesh Kanagaraj, ‘Kaithi’ has undoubtedly opened the doors and windows to the ‘big star’ commercial tier and segues well for his next directorial with Vijay (Thalapathy 64).

Verdict: Above Average

Rating: 2.8/5