Kathir Tamil Movie
Autobiographical stories are not something new. What makes such stories tick is the nature of the journey. How purposeful the journey is and how engaging it is for the viewers. Legends like Kamal and Rajini have delivered some of their hits through such stories. It involves a lot of character-building exercises, the circumstances that engulf them and force them into an arc, and ofcourse, the supporting cast.
Kathir, a direct-to-OTT feature, directed by Dhinesh Palanivel is one such journey. However, he has taken the well-proven beaten-down track of a jobless and morally flawed spoiled brat turning into a new leaf, thanks to his experiences and the people who shape him up. It can be compared with the storyline of "7G Rainbow Colony". If 7G's protagonist had a girlfriend, here Kathir has his foster grandmother!
Kathir, a jobless youth moves to Chennai from a small town down South as he rebels against his father. His engineering degree doesn't fetch him a job as he has poor communication skills. He develops it, thanks to the influence that he gets from his house owner, whom he considers his grandmother. When he is about to get his job, his sour past haunts him. Then, he returns to his small town and faces some more brutal realities. Did Kathir succeed in life, and how?
The director has taken two stories from varying timelines and has tried to blend them. However, the 70s timeline made me think of its purpose. It was supposed to be inspiring, and it was to a certain extent. The impact that it created on the overall narration was minimal. Had we got something more sinister, it could have worked.
Also, the life of Kathir was nothing short of being cliched. His college days are marked with run-of-the-mill scenes like gang fights, chasing girls, bullying a weak friend, and a romance. The romance seemed to be fresh, thanks to a heroine, whose character had a semblance of acumen. There was a valid reason behind their break-up too.
The chauvinistic attitude of the hero was portrayed well. However, the director did not pay much attention to closing the loop on that portion later. We've seen the rags to riches stories in the past. Here too, our protagonist does that. As predicted, the scenes were unconvincingly conceived and brought to screen. Movie entrepreneurs make doing business in India look so easy and elegant.
Venkatesh Appadurai, who plays Kathir, has a decent debut. He is not the regular "good-looking" brawn showcasing hero. He is a natural, who is instinctive in his actions and his character was flawed, but the writing justified the same. Rajini Chandy was another surprising entry. As a supportive grandmotherly figure, she struck a fine balance between being firm and at the same time infusing love and affection whenever needed.
Bhavya Trikha, being a Hindi-speaking heroine, has got her to lip-sync right. She had cute and bubbly expressions. Also, she brought out her emotions well whenever needed. The supporting characters were handpicked with diligence and with the milieu in mind. The Kongu slang was flavored all over. Santhosh Prathap as an activist in the flashback was not as effective as it ought to be.
The movie is a decent first-time attempt for the director. Nevertheless, there was nothing new in terms of content. The relationship between a grandmother and a grandson could be considered a relatively unexplored path. However, this humble movie could have been explored more with some more refreshing plot points.
The movie streams on the Aha Tamil OTT platform.
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