NAAN KADAVUL a review

NAAN KADAVUL as i see –

I saw a review in Sify which mentioned that the movie takes the industry at greater heights and its an outstanding master piece. But my colleagues who returned from movie on Friday evening were simply cursing. They said Arya wasted his 3yrs of cinema for this. Pooja cant be showed uglier than this. Bala is a psyche. Its a tragedy to sit the 2 and haf hours inside the 4 walls before the screen. It was a irony. I dint know to believe an expert review or that of my colleagues. Then i listened to the story from one of them. I found the plot is interesting and serious. Then he started explaining the scenes, the tortures. He said certainly you wont like to see that movie again but you can see it once. It is not like a vijay movie or simbu movie which can be totally avoided he said.

Then yesterday evening me and my younger brother went for the movie. I have seen Bala’s 3 flicks before. I know what can i expect from Bala. I know he will have a good plot, flaw less screenplay, very very few dialogues, some unforgettable scenes, not ugly scenes but really poignant scenes, but it will be a national award material.

I saw lotta ladies coming to the movie. I saw some pregnant women coming. I was cursing in mind their husbands for having brought them to a Bala movie. Because his movies impact you so much. You will return home with heavy heart.

The movie started. I see pin drop silent suddenly. Usually we dont see counter comments from the audience for a Bala movie. The titles started with a hindi song on Kasi. The beautiful ganges river, the temple at its bank, Hindu spiritual scenes were beautifully pictured.

Hey here am not going to through out the scenes. Pay your money to watch it.

The subject is very very heavy. The story was built on a theme that the Aghori sages believe that they are god. They have the capability to distinguish between the good and evil. They will become Kaala bhairavan, the god with the power of 1000 elephants and punish if they find an evil. The death they give to the evil is the curse and the death they give to one who cant live is a boon. The human dont have a life next. Only Bala can build a story on these heavy lines.

I can say that the Arya and Pooja are simply crowd pullers. He could have made anybody to act in those roles. Such was their role. The story is the hero, the script is the hero, Bala is the hero here. Pooja was the heroine treated with no sympathy from Bala. Laila in Nanda without make up is 1000 times fortunate. Here she is with no make up, her eye balls are whitened, she was given a typical beggar’s dress, her hair was dry and dusty uncombed. She was made to live amidst of raw beggars. The scene in which she receives severe torture and the scene after that was difficult to see. So real was the make up. It is very hard to forget that scene for a long time.

You have got to praise Bala for the good jokes that he has knitted in the sound script/heavy script. The introductory song of the beggars will be very stinky but you get used to it as the movie progresses and you start to accept it later on. You can mingle with them and share the happiness and sadness.

The Murugan character was very pleasing. You cant sketch such a character. A good man doing wrong. Fighting with his conscience always. 100 marks should be given for that. Again the villan. Cruel! Villainous!! Looking at his face you can feel the agony!! The Pithamagan’s villain was so apt for that character and this villain ranks above than that to gain your hatred. Bala’s villains are many times villains, Bala’s heroes are many times stronger, Bala’s fight scenes are so real. Except for the titles on the screens there is no graphics in the movie which is very very rare.

You wait for some saviour to come and save the sufferers, you wait for a hero to keep a check on all the atrocious doings. You wait and wait. When such a saviour stands on his foot for the first time its very thrilling. Thats how Arya face the villains. When he starts to hit them you want him to hit hard and he does. Those two scenes were very ferocious, very punchy, very powerful, brings a lotta relief in you.

In my childhood my mom will say lotta stories on evils which will terrorize us if we dont eat out food or waste it, if we dont respect fellow human beings, if we dont sleep, if we give trouble to her. I have heard stories in my child hood on the sages who do some rituals at midnight at grave yards. Late i felt that they are not real, there cant be such evils at all. But here in the movie you put them in to picture and see it through Arya in this movie.

On the whole –

Hats off to Bala for the plot, Screenplay, direction

Hats off to maestro Ilayaraja

Hats off to cinematographer

Hats off to all the actors

I would have said its a master piece if the scenes are not such cruel, if he doesnt show such tortures, if there is something pleasant on the screen. But still thats how the story gains its strength, Thats how the villains become so villainous, thats why the hero turns so ferocious and is so necessary, thats how Bala is. Arya and Pooja can only get better in their carrear.

Its certainly a break for the tamil audience who are drowned in Masala movies of Vijay, Simbu J

If you think you spend money to have a laugh and go or smile, if you think you want to see pleasant scenes on the screen, if you think Radha Mohan kinda people are the only best directors, this is not a movie for you. This is a Anniyan movie. An Apocalypto kinda movie. A award winning material. You should have seen some Malayalam movies at least to travel with this heavy scenes. But take my word, you wont feel bored, you wont see people going out for smoking. You wont hear people saying ‘this scene could have been cut’(unnecessary). It will take some time to forget some scenes. If you decide to go for this movie, tune yourself to see stinky men, tortures...I was surprised when my younger brother said “this is a good movie. Dint you like it?? “

BALA STRIKES MUCH HARDER THIS TIME AND IN HIS OWN WAY.