Kaadhal

Balaji Shaktivel's Kaadhal seems to me to be one of the best films of the decade so far. It is certainly a highly realistic portrayal of urban life in southern India and, as such, is rare enough in itself. But the realism is not simply achieved by pointing the camera at the subject. There is real artistry in the way the film is put together.

Talking to young folk in India recently (not in Tamil Mandu but not a million miles away) I was struck by the desperateness of their search for some kind of intimacy (in the French sense of the word - 'privacy' we would more normally say in English). The omnipresence even in large towns of a 'small town' mentality, of watching eyes and busybodies ready to intervene at the slightest infraction of social codes. The absence of any places for young people to meet and be alone....

It is this atmosphere that Shaktivel catches so masterfully in the film. The way the camera allows us to see the gossiping women, the staring eyes, the curious neighbours at every stage of the film is an absolute marvel and creates better than any explanation could that stifling atmosphere of permanent surveillance of which my young friends had complained.

The magnificently realised scenes in the men's hostel are a sense the key moment of the film and the grimly farcical search for even a moment of intimacy (just so the girl can have a pee in the first instance) are actually very symbolic of this micro-political theme that runs through the film. The way a mini-flashback is used to show us a little of the history of the various men in the hostel and acquaint the audience with its inmates shows a deftness and economy that is characteristic of Shaktivel's thoughtful approach to directing.

The macro-political theme (the conflicts of class and caste) is equally well done. The superb scene in the car where the hypocritical uncle show his true colours is terrifyingly real and more frightening in its way than more overtly violent scenes elsewhere in the film.

The acting is consistently good (from the young boy at the garage to the friend in Chennai, from the grandmother from hell to the creepy uncle and the brutal father). The principals are both very good but the acting of Bharath is really exceptional. There is not a single moment where he overacts (and there are opportunities in plenty) or uses facile mannerisms or unnecessary gestures. It is a piece of naturalistic acting of the very first order (and a later Bharath film I have seen where ha plays a deaf and dumb boy - though not in itself such a good film - very much confirms his stature as an actor).

Kaadhal is a film that deserves to be much more widely known. I only hope this comment will encourage others to go out and find the film (available on DVD).

Well one of the masterpiece in tamil film history. The credit definitely goes to director Balaji shaktivel. The interesting thing about this movie is the reality in which is showcased. This type of film definitely needs a boost as it mainly deals with emotion.

The performance of actress Sandhya was really nice. It was really hard to expect good acting from new-comers. But Sandhya really showed matured role that earned her filmfare award for best actress. Especially the scene in ending in which she weeps made me almost in tears(which i was not able to resist).

The naturalness of this movie is a plus point. Everyone in this movie showed there own performance though they were new to this field(film industry).Well bharath was also good is this movie.

This movie showed what a true love is. Even when aishwaria was married to other man she still remembered murugan(her first husband). That is the true sign of love.

This movie tells us that there are some people in our society((full of narrow minded people))who are still broad minded like the husband in the end of the movie who can sacrifice everything for her wife even though he comes to know about the past of her wife. Since it is a true story the real man who is husband deserves praise from all. At last i would say this type of low budget movies really deserves praise for excellent featuring.

Vanakkam,

A story of true love. Many new faces in the movie in turn marketing the movie - grass root marketing. (Is it viral marketing model or is it open source model - either way the beneficiaries are the Tamil speaking people, myself included). The native Madurai is well portrayed with many subtle aspects. Did I miss out Chennai scenes too done equally well. The contrast looked more like dual specialty done by Balaji Shaktivel.

Music - Joshua Sridhar The supporting cast - Alex, Amsaveni Paatti, Arun Kumar, Dandapani, Jaidurga, Kausalya, Krishnamurthy, Meenakshi & Sukumar. Producer C. Shankar Camera - Vijay Milton Art Director - K Veerasami Editor - G Sasikumar.

There's nothing so special in this film.In this 140 minutes saga,the first 130 minutes is something which we find in innumerable love stories(Boy and girl run away etc.),only in the last 10 minutes there's something 'different',a twist.For this,it gets so much of acclaim.Also,another reason why it was 'acclaimed' is that dark lights are used to shoot this film.(To give a 'realistic look'.) The reason is the loud manner in which each and every relative of the heroine talks.(Cannot bear it.)It's waste of time.Cannot believe that this is praised so highly.Bharat and the heroine look good though. 4/10.That's all it deserves.

i saw this movie just an hour back ,so one can understand my urgency in writing this comment so soon.

what can i say about this movie...perfect screenplay,great music,amazing cinematography and also good performances.

movies like this are rare in Indian cinema nowadays.Even though this a normal love story about a rich girl and poor boy,the treatment is different and also what adds up,is that this is based on a true story.

The first half of the movie is about how they fall in love.well there is enough entertainment in the first half, the second half is realistic.one performance that stands out is that of the heroine-sandhya.she gives a knockout performance in her very first film.

this movie deserves its entry in London film festival.8/10.