Kadai Kutty Singam Tamil Movie

Feature Film | 2018 | U | Comedy
Critics:
Kadaikutty Singam is a decently dished out family drama from Pandiraj who has lived up to his reputation of being 'family friendly' with his ventures!
Jul 14, 2018 By Baranidharan Sivasankaran

Where To Watch:
Streaming:
   Amazon Prime


It's been decades since we've witnessed pulp melodrama in a rural milieu and a hero playing a farmer. If I have to recount the last movie that had the hero playing a farmer, then I'll have to dig into the 'Ramarajan' files a couple of decades back. 'Kadai Kutty Singam', directed by Pandiraj brings back those memories from the 80s and has been served in a new mud pot.


The movie kicked off on what seemed to be a regressive appeal for the current crop of audiences when Ranasingam (Sathyaraj) attempts to marry for a third time in order to bring forth a "male" child into his family. Then the backstory of how Ranasingam eventually has a male heir is revealed with a quirky voice over from Sivagamiyin Selvan (Soori). Finally, we get our heads around the long list of family members who form the ensemble cast of the movie.


Of course, Karthi is the 'kadaikutty' or the last kid who gets to play that perfect 90s hero. He is the darling for the family, especially for his potential matches, or 'mama ponnunga' (played by Arthana and Priya Bhavani Shankar). As far as the story goes, it's about a big happy family, their separation and eventual reunion at the end or a happy ending (of course the movie massages it way with numerous cliches all along)!


There were many things that made me sit up and take note. Firstly, farmers and farming were given a whiff of fresh air with the hero playing one. The perception of associating farmers with poverty has been broken and was given a more linear and natural tone in terms of narration, with the help of gadgets and other technological advancements that have become a part of their day-to-day lives like any other city dweller.


Also, the casting was excellent except for the heroine, Sai Isha. I couldn't associate her with anything rural. She had a face that seemed to have been sculpted at an angle engineered with German precision. And, the awry lip sync made it worse! The names of each character resonated with the milieu and reeked off the earthiness that Pandiraj wanted to bring forth on the screen.


For Karthi, this was a tailor-made role and he seems to be more in his zone with these roles than in a suave suit. Sathyaraj as the doting father and ahead of the family was a natural selection. Viji and Bhanupriya were the other seasoned performers who have given their best.


Among the many supporting characters, Marimuthu and Saravanan were the notable ones. Their rivalry on screen was an enjoyable subplot. Soori as the rural sidekick played the joker's card to perfection.


The cliches, predictability and the villain were some of the huge drawbacks for the movie. The villain's portions was an absolute disaster. Eccentricity and villains have been mixed and matched in so many different combinations in the past, but here, the villain prefers to live a 'prison life' when his ego gets busted. That was quite funny, to say the least! Also, the climax fight where the hero triumphs when his 'mama ponnunga' has been taken to custody was a true ode to the 80s and 90s!


Songs were below average and there was not a single number that got registered in the mind. BGM too was loud and tacky.


The movie is an emotional family drama that would auger well among the audiences who would like a trip down the memory lane of the 80s and 90s. But for the millennials who prefer a fast-paced screenplay that keeps up with the trend, this one would test their patience. Overall, Kadaikutty Singam is a decently dished out family drama from Pandiraj who has lived up to his reputation of being 'family friendly' with his ventures!

Baranidharan Sivasankaran

   

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