KUTTRAM KADITHAL (2015)

KUTTRAM KADITHAL (2015)

Director: Bramma

Casts: Master Ajay , Radhika Prasidha, Sai Rajkumar, Sathya, Pavel Navageethan, Kulothungan
Music: Shankar Rengarajan
Language: Tamil
Genre: Thriller

Some films are made to entertain, some are made to educate but only very few movies are made to emphasize reality and capture it sincerely as it is to inform or scare the audience. ‘Kuttram Kadithal’ touted to be a film with such a calibre has already garnered the accolades all around the world prior to its theatrical release. The title of the film was derived from the 44th adhikaaram (chapter) of the Thirukkural, where Thiruvalluvar alludes to avoiding mistakes. Winning the ‘National Award’ for best regional film, ‘Kuttram Kadithal’ has finally hit the screens to collect the warm response of the audiences too!

Synopsis

Merlin (Radhika) a newly wed school teacher losses her cool on her first day of school and slaps a 5^th grade boy, Chezhiyan for kissing a girl in class. Unfortunately the boy falls into coma. Subsequently, how different people are pushed into an emotional turmoil after this incident, is what ‘Kuttram Kadhithal’ is all about.

Story – Screenplay

Kuttram Kadithal’s plot is uncomplicated and linear. But what makes it interesting is the way it’s being presented. The film focuses on the flawed school system and shows blatantly what simple slapping incident can bring about chaos in emotional, physical and even societal stand.

Given such a simple thread of plot, the film travels in a non-exaggerated way without any unwarranted melodrama whatsoever. It stays honest to what it intended to say and progresses in that direction. The way director Bramma moves his story with an unbiased view of both the culprit and victim, is the biggest strength of the film. He makes us emphasize with both sides and that’s where Kuttram Kadithal intensifies. Bramma has also carefully threaded his story, not to sound preachy. The way he inserts the role of media, reflects symbolically the view of current ignorant ‘social media’ society who unapologetically sees everything as news.

Bramma has also used many symbolism and metaphors in both his narrative structure and mise en scène. However, he has left the audience to decipher which ever they can without spoon-feeding. It’s interesting to see how Bramma cleverly juxtapositions the emotional chaos to religion. The scene where Merlin wipes her holy ashes, as she pleads guilty to have disrespected her own religion, was tastefully done. There are many powerful sequences and dialogues as such that will certainly make you stop and think. On a flipside, some might question the director’s decision to do so and even get confused at certain sequences.

In overall, ‘Kuttram Kadithal’ is intense, hard hitting and realistic.

Casting & Performance

The film has used handpicked talents from the stage industry and everyone has delivered brilliantly, bringing the characters alive with so much of conviction.

Radhika, a theatre artiste, writer and director, shines the most among all with her performance as Merlin. In majority of the scenes where her guilt is being conveyed to the audiences, she is silent but speaks thousand words with her mere variations of expressions. She looks real, weak and intense, just perfectly made for the character. By the time we walk out of the film, she definitely proves us why she was nominated for National Award in Best Actress category.

Master Ajay another theatre artiste, fits perfectly as Chezhiyan, the significant victim in the film. Saj Rajkumar as Merlin’s husband and Pavel as Chezhiyan’s uncle have done a decent job too. 

Even the supporting casts are hand picked from various theatre and acting school backgrounds to collectively impact the audiences. Even the actors who come for one scene, leaves an impact on you.  Kudos to the entire child casts too!

They have not acted but rather lived as the characters. The film runs high on realism due this talented bunch.

Technicality

D.O.P Manikanden has shot the film in a raw but tasteful manner. His heavy use of close up shots and off right framing enhances the emotional graph effectively.

The soulful music by Shankar Rengarajan, plays as a vital tool for the storytelling. The film that runs slightly lesser than two hours is quite crisp thanks to the well paced cuts by C.S.Prem. One notable and unforgettable sequence is the montage song appearing in the second half that highlights the true self of the characters. Uniquely done indeed!

It might not have flashy grand sequences but still ‘Kuttram Kadithal’ is an intelligent marriage of effective technicality and visual storytelling. Therefore in that way, it’s a dazzler!

 

Bottomline

‘Kuttram Kadithal’ is a brilliant piece of cinema that will hit you hard with its intense realism.

Verdict:

Movie Rating:  4.75/5