Tamil Movie Review: Kaavalan

Movie: Kaavalan

Director: Siddique

Producer: Romesh Babu

Music: Vidyasagar

Cast: Vijay, Asin, Vadivelu, Mitra Kurein, Raj Kiran

Vijay, the one man entertainment troupe has bounced back with Kaavalan. It’s super fun, perfect Pongal family entertainer and fits in with the spirit of the season. What makes the film tick is that Vijay with the help of director Siddique has done something different within the constraints of the formula.

The Tom & Jerry comic escapades of Vijay and Vadivel is a scream, song placements are perfect, romance is subtle but touching and the emotional climax twist is hard hitting. No Villain, no skin, no crass comedy, yet never a dull moment in the 2 hour 25 minutes movie.

Bhoominathan (Vijay) has been given that name by Semanoor Muthuramalingam (Raj Kiran), a wealthy and powerful feudal landlord. Bhoomi takes up an assignment to be the bodyguard of Muthuramalingam and saves him and his family consisting of his wife (Roja), daughter Meera (Asin), son Karthi (KK). He is given a new assignment by his boss to be Meera and her friend Madhu’s (Mitra Kurian) bodyguard at the college where they are studying.

Bhoomi is some kind of a joke at the campus, with his peculiar mannerisms, security guard’s dresses and dark glasses. Meera and her friends find his presence, often irritating. To poke fun at him, Meera starts making prank calls to him pretending to be a girl who is in love with him. After a while, things get serious, which leads to twist in the story.

One of the drawbacks of the film is the famous Asin-Vijay chemistry that has failed to work on screen. Asin looks too made-up, disinterested and sleep walks in a well written role. The film lacks a creditable storyline, but has been packaged keeping humour as its base, which makes it an engaging watch.

Vadivel who comes as Vijay’s side-kick and his comic antics with the hero are genuine gut busters. Raj Kiran, MS Bhaskar and Roja have hardly anything to do. Mithra Kurian in second lead is ok. Ekhambaram’s camera work is neat. Vidyasagar- Vijay combo works with some great melodies and fast beats like Pattamboochi and Step Step...

At the centre of all the mirth is the magical Vijay. The film works purely on his star charisma and larger-than-life image. His ace comic timing, dance movements and subtle performance in the climax makes his performance absolutely knockout. He carries the film on his shoulders and is one good reason to watch the film.

Verdict: Family Entertainer