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Kaalai – Rebel sans cause |
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| Behindwoods
Movie Review Board |
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Kaalai
Cast
: Silambarasan, Vedhika, Sangeetha, Nila
Direction: Tarun Gopi
Music: G V. Prakash
Production: NIC Arts Chakravarthy |
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First
things first. You wouldn’t expect a classic tale of
movie making from a director – Tarun Gopi – whose
previous credential include a hardcore commercial potboiler,
Thimiru. Having said that, we did expect a racy entertainer
with Simbhu’s return after a brief sabbatical creating
enough and more hype. However, Kaalai, Tarun Gopi’s
second venture and first with Simbhu is a classic case of
too much in too little time. With too little scenes that substantiate
the sense of logic, Tarun Gopi has royally squandered an opportunity. |
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Less
said the better about the story. Simbhu shares his name
with two other people - one villain and one cop-turned-baddie
and the situations arising out of it promise enough
curiosity for a while as soon as the movie opens. However,
it eventually fizzles out when the movie takes a turn
for better or for worse.
Seema – Simbhu’s grandmother – slays
five men, mind you when she was only ten, since they
flouted her father’s advices and distilled alcohol
illegally in the village also involving in other shady
activities. The villagers, for her noble act, consider
her their head after her return from the prison and
are peaceful under her reign. However, trouble crops
up in the name of a police officer – Lal –
whose ego is hurt when challenged by the fellow policeman’s
son that he can’t find anything illicit in Simbhu’s
village, ruled by the godmother Seema. |
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Lal tries - but to no avail - to nail somebody from
the village for any charges and ends being thrashed
up the villagers. Predictably, he returns back with
a vengeance and in the dirty war, burns Seema alive.
Enough reason for Simbhu to seek retribution for his
loss. Simbhu returns to Chennai, uses the tried and
tested formula to woo Lal’s daughter Vedhika,
and after a couple of duets abducts her as a hostage
on revenge of his grandmom’s death.
With a script that has more holes than a fish net,
it’s evident that Simbhu could just not help
the ship from sinking. However, his mind-boggling
stunt scenes and the dance sequences especially for
songs ‘Kutti Pisaase’ and ‘Kaalai
Kaalai’ are stupendously performed. Particularly,
Kutti Pisaase might send his fans on a nostalgic trip
to the good old days when Simbhu sang and danced ‘I
am a little star’.
Vedika’s character is left to deal with a few
duets in measly outfits in exotic locales with an
almost innocent face. Alas, she vanishes from the
movie abruptly even before its end. Santhanam –
Simbhu duo’s comic act has lesser than desired
results.
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Veteran Seema’s grandmother-godmother act refuses
to fade after she is brutally charred alive in the
movie. Sangeetha plays Simbhu’s aunt and yes,
her role is of utmost importance. If you must insist,
here is how. It’s only when she gets spanked
by Lal that violence erupts uncontrollably in the
village. Lal’s villainy seems to be born with
him and he is prominent with his viciousness in the
movie that is also swarmed with many other such likes.
R.D.Rajasekar’s camera brings in unsullied frames
of fresh locales during the duet scenes. G.V. Prakash
stands out in two songs and scores an average for
background music.
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Had Tarun Gopi worked on the script for a taut screenplay
coupled with some interesting twists, Simbhu’s Kaalai
would definitely have been a joy ride.
Verdict: Action - nothing more, nothing
less
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