KANNAI NAMBATHEY MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Kannai Nambathey is a thriller written and directed by Mu. Maran, and produced by VN Ranjith Kumar under the banner Lipi Cine Crafts. The film has Udhayanidhi Stalin and Aathmika in the lead roles while Prasanna, Srikanth, Bhumika Chawla, Sathish, and others play supporting roles. The music is composed by Siddhu Kumar, and the cinematography is handled by Jalandhar Vasan.

Arul (Udhayanidhi Stalin) is in search of a rented house as his previous house owner kicks him out after finding out that Arul is in a relationship with his daughter (Aathmika). After various failed attempts to get one, he ends up as the roommate of Somu (Prasanna). The very same night, both of them go to a wine shop, and Arul witnesses a small accident. He chooses to help the woman (Bhumika) by dropping her home, and this turns his life upside down. Who is the mysterious woman, and how does Arul come out of all these problems forms the rest of the film.

Kannai Nambathey is Mu. Maran's second directorial, and visually speaking, this one has far too many similarities with his debut film, Iravukku Aayiram Kangal. Especially the tone of the film during the rainy night sequences definitely reminds you of the previous film. There is a small justification/easter egg that explains this towards the end, but how many audiences would get the reference is a question that will remain unanswered.

When you look at the premise - a common man gets trapped because he helped a woman out - it holds a lot of potential and seems interesting. However, the screenplay is filled with so many cliches despite being told in a non-linear way. While watching a thriller, it is natural for the audience to travel along with the protagonist and think along with them. Therefore, it is natural that a lot of questions pop in the audience's mind. They also try to solve the case or look for ways in which the protagonist can escape from a dreadful situation.

In Kannai Nambathey, most of these questions are not addressed. For example, Arul and Somu clean up a car off its finger prints because they were the ones who drove it. There is another car that they drive, which belongs to a policeman's son, but it is conveniently forgotten. At many points, you wonder why there is no CCTV at any other part of the city except the places the director wants it to be.

Barring the logical loopholes and the screenplay issues, the film does have a few solid twists. Udhayanidhi and Prasanna, both come up with restrained acting that requires a lot of underplaying. Aathmika could have been given more screentime as her role doesn't offer much to the script. Among the supporting actors, both Srikanth and Bhumika deliver convincing performances.

Technically, Siddhu Kumar's work on the background score is fantastic. There is a romantic song in the first half, which is passable, and apart from that, he has delivered a neat work. Jalandhar Vasan's cinematography gives the film what it exactly requires. But most work seems to be done by editor San Lokesh. There was a high probability for the non-linear narrative to go haphazard, confusing the audience, but San's work is what makes the film so much better than what it should have been.

Overall, Kannai Nambathey could have built well on the premise if the writing was proper. The film takes a lot of cinematic liberties and ends up pulling the weight down. The performances by the leads and Siddhu Kumar's music do keep us invested for a while, but not that long as well. A decently engaging thriller that might not fulfill your expectations but is watchable.

KANNAI NAMBATHEY VIDEO REVIEW