EN VEETU THOTATHIL (2017)

Critic - No.128

Director: Karthik Shamalan
Casts: Jaya Ganason, KS Manian, Mahessan Poobalan
Music: Shameshan Mani Maran
Language: Tamil
Genre: Crime / Thriller

PLOT:
Inspired by the popular ‘Red Riding Hood’, En Veetu Thottathil depicts the painful journey of a deaf & mute girl, Sujitha (Jaya Ganeson) who is in the captivity of a serial killer, The Wolf.

 REVIEW:
After a strong presence in the Malaysian telemovie and music video scene, young film maker Karthik Shamalan debuts into the league of feature film (actual debut film ‘Suhamaai Subbulakshmi’ has been delayed for release). In a closed and conservative film atmosphere like Malaysia, Karthik has made a bold debut with a slasher flick. Did it prevail?

For any slasher film, the main strength relies on the character depth of the protagonist. The emotional connection with the film’s central character, Sujitha excellently portrayed by Jaya Ganeson. The first half of the film invests its time in establishing the unique rapport of the two lead characters and the romantic track evokes the feel-good factor. For instance, the proposal scene is imaginative and yet subtle. It switches back to a track where a police officer who suffers from a guilty mishap previously is given a second chance to nab a serial killer. Even though the first half takes its time to establish itself, once it hits the story’s catalyst which is the kidnapping scene, it takes off with full force.

With a few shockingly violent imaginaries, Karthik ‘comfortably’ projects the slasher genre conventions without any compromises. The emotional arc of the film further gets intensified with a puzzle like cat-and-mouse chase between Sujitha and the Wolf, that is executed quite uniquely. With a shoe string budget, the entire team must have commended for hard work to erect the main house set. The production value doesn’t look diluted at any point. Background music by Shameshan Mani Maran supports the intensity of the film. Performance wise, Mahessan and Jaya stand out. 

On the flipside, in middle of the second half, the film drops its intensity a little with repetitive scene of the howling Wolf. The police track of zeroing down the antagonist also loses steam a little with the laborious pace and contrived twist. But the last sequence, with a few surprising cameos by popular Malaysian actors, makes sure that the film ends off with a bang  hope for a sequel. EVT not only shifts the genre paradigm in but also creates a new hope for Indian Independent cinema in Malaysia. That doesn’t mean that the film will only work in Malaysia but with a global appeal in treatment and narration, EVT will capture the attention of spectators outside Singapore and Malaysia if released worldwide.



VERDICT: 
Karthik Shamalan’s slasher flick is an effective gore-fest that stabs your senses most of the time, emerging as a bold, significant attempt in the Malaysian New Wave cinema.

CELLULOID METER- 3.5/5:
 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NEETHANE EN PONVASANTHAM FILM REVIEW

Image
NEETHANE EN PONVASANTHAM (2012) Director: Gautham Vasudev Menon Casts: Jiiva, Samantha, Santhanam Music: Ilayaraja Language: Tamil Genre: Romance Life gets defined by the mind altering moments which occurs at the most unexpected circumstances in life. Gautham Vasudev Menon continues to explore such moments in his distinctive style in Neethaane En Ponvasantham, where he refines the threads he already used in Vaaranam Aayiram and Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya . Neethane En Ponvasantham fits the bill perfectly as a so called ‘concluding’ part of the trilogy. Synopsis Gautham Menon experiments in a ‘moment’ driven story this time by surfacing through four chapters of Varun (Jiiva) and Nithya (Samantha), from the age of 8 to 23 years old. Childhood buddies, Varun and Nithya share an unconditional bond since school days. Even when tested by ego clashes and misunderstanding, destiny always brings them together at different stages of life. But what happens wh
Read more

PULIKKUTHI PANDI (2021)

Image
Critic - No. 191 Director : M Muthiah Produced by: SUN Entertainment Casts: Vikram Prabhu, Lakshmi Menon, Samuthirakani, Vela Ramamoorthy, R.K.Suresh, Singam Puli, Dheena, Bala Language: Tamil Music: N.R. Raghunathan Genre: Action, Drama   SYNOPSIS:  Pulikkuthi Pandi (Vikram Prabhu), a ruthless youngster who fights for justice, transforms into a kind and humble husband for his wife, Pechi (Lakshmi Menon). But as fate turns brutal, his patience is tested.   REVIEW: After a decent streak of 5 rural dramas, director Muthaiah has anchored his trademark and filmmaking voice within the genre. Out of his previous films, I liked his treatment for Komban (2015) and Marudhu (2016) where he has centered his story against relationship conflicts and stakes, in a very earnest manner. Despite being quite inconsistent in character building, Muthiah’s films typically work to tell a message in the end for the audience (fully convincing or not is another issue). Shot during the pandemic period, Puli
Read more

KADHALUM KADANTHU POGUM (2016)

Image
KADHALUM KADANTHU POGUM (2016) Director: Nalan Kumarasamy Casts: Vijay Sethupathi, Madonna Sebastian, Samuthirakani Music: Santosh Narayanan Language: Tamil Genre: Comedy Kollywood has seen a remarkable, healthy change in the past 3 years and Nalan Kumarasamy is one of the significant game changer. After the stupendous success of ‘Soodhu Kavvum’ , all eyes were on his next and to everyone’s excitement, Vijay Sethupathi teamed up with him for the second time. Being a remake of a Korean film, ‘My Dear Desperado’, ‘ Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum’ (Ka Ka Po) is one of the most expected films of the year. So will the duo strike gold again? Synopsis Yazhini (Madonna), a fresh graduate, sets off from Vizhipuram to Chennai in search of a stable job. She resides in an apartment where she meets a carefree, sharp-tongued henchman, Kathir (Vijay Sethupathi). Sparking with a rift at first, their relationship starts to bloom from sour to a sweet companionship. Story – Screenplay
Read more