I read somewhere that this movie was initially titled "Eskimo Kadhal" before the makers finally fixed on "Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum". And there is a scene where the heroine refers to the male protagonist as a dog that eskimos cuddle and hug to keep themselves warm during the biting cold weather. The guy responds by asking "Naaaya?" in the quirkiest way possible. It is precisely this sort of cleverly written dialogue that make Ka Ka Po worth a watch at the cinema hall. I just wish there were more people with me to appreciate or hoot or laugh their guts out when they were actually supposed to. Nalan (of Soodhu Kavvum fame) crafts his second film in a manner that completely overturns traditional rom-com clichés. We even have the typical hero-saves-heroine-from-the-horny-bad-guy scene. But all that is done with such elan and finesse that the viewer buys it without hesitation. Vijay Sethupathi has time n' again proved to be the go-to guy for roles like these. He is basically a thug, with some forced swag, but also one with a heart. We have seen countless number of masala flicks where the heroine instantly falls in love the hero when he merely flexes his muscles while beating up some twenty or thirty odd goons in a street ^vegetables and colored-powder fly in the air^. In this case, the fights are concise and shot judiciously. The funny moments are sprinkled throughout and at times, you need to be a real good observer to notice the hilarious puns. The ROFL moments happen during a bar fight and an interview respectively. I won't reveal how Nalan and Sethupathi pull it off because it NEEDS to be seen and cherished. Another aspect of the film that warrants admiration is the scintillating background score and music by Santhosh Narayanan. The pulsating "Pangaali" track is apt for the 'Sethupathi-goes-full- on-rogue' scenes while "Ka Ka Ka Po" hands out the kuthu song on a platter to the viewer. The BGM is generally breezy and gels well with the proceedings. It is definitely worth mentioning that Madonna has nailed her first full-blown character with consummate ease. Unlike 'Naanum RowdyDhaan' which was a black comedy full of hilarious characters apart from Sethupathi's and Nayantara's (such as RJ Balaji, the old man who plays 'Rahul', the interracial Pondy couple, Anandaraj, Parthiban and so on), Ka Ka Po rather revolves completely around the two leads. Credit should be given to Sethupathi and Madonna for completely holding our attention since they take up almost 95% of the movie's run-time. Nalan may not have attained the levels of Soodhu Kavvum in terms of hilarity, nonetheless pulls off his second venture quite eloquently by not playing to the galleries instead providing the intelligent cinema- goer with enough matter to chew on. Okay, maybe not two thumbs-up but most certainly deserving of 'one-and-a-half'. Keep up the good work Nalan and crew. Looking forward to your next!
