Kadal

KADAL ( 2013 )

Saw this on the release date itself. Normally it doesn't happen with Tamil movies as far as my movie watching habit is concerned.

KADAL is a pretty simple story. The life of a boy who grows up among the illiterate fishermen on sea shores. But that's not just about it. its also the story of good v/s evil fight. Good represented by the priest ( played by Aravind Sami ) and evil represented by rich bad guy (played by Arjun). That's not it about it its also about how love can change someone into good and bring them close to god. Now, that's it about the movie.

All clichéd plots, no unseen situations or anything. KADAL is a normal average movie. There is nothing mind blowing or supergood story wise. But in terms of making there are few things I really loved.

Songs of a movie play a huge role in pulling the audience to it. KADAL album is already a huge hit and there would be people coming in also to see those beautiful songs. I was also waiting for it to come on screen and I am totally surprised!! The sound track of the movie had different genres of songs and I was wondering what placement or picturisation they would have in a movie related to sea.

Right from the moment when my favorite track MAGUDI unfolded on screen, I realized that the experimentation begins then onwards. When you see the songs with the movie, I felt all of them doesn't blend well. But if the songs are viewed alone, they would look good and different. I liked the ' adiye.. enne enge ne' song picturisation very much for that was never what I had imagined that song would be like. MAGUDI also could have been better.

As always, Rajeev Menon's cinematography is beautiful and stunning in the climax scene. The climax scene in the sea reminded of Hollywood movies like Pirates of the Caribbean. I was so stunned to see that quality of vfx making it so real!!

Coming to the actors in this, KADAL marked the debut of two star-kids. KARTHIK's son GAUTAM and actress RADHA's second daughter TULSI. They could not have asked for a greater opening than this. Gautam has some allu arjun mannerisms but other than that he looks promising. Tulsi needs an acting workshop/course before she moves on . it was so delighting to see the wonderful actors ARAVIND SAMI and ARJUN on screen again.

KADAL has very few characters only and they were very limited in the script. It seemed as if they had not much to do in the story. Screenplay could have been much better and powerful. May be the Director Sir wanted to concentrate more on the emotion side of the story rather than the actual story.. who knows??

I am no one to talk about it.

After Raavanan, Mani Ratnam has returned behind the camera and has delivered us Kadal (English: The Sea), a drama film which revolves the story of the life of Indian-Tamil Christian fishermen. It features an ensemble cast that includes Aravinth Swamy, Arjun Sarja, Ponnvannan, Lakshmi Manchu and débutantes Gautham Karthik (son of actor Karthik Muthuraman) and Thulasi Nair (daughter of actress Radha). The film's score and soundtrack were composed by the two time Academy Award winner A.R Rahman and the voices were lent by A.R Rahman, Vijay Yesudas, Sid Sriram, Abhay Jodhpurkar, Harini, Shakri Sri Gopalan, Haricharan, Chinmayi, Tanvi Shah and rapper Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam. The lyrics were penned by Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu, his son Madhan Karky and rapper Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam. The film was written by Jeyamohan while Rajiv Menon and A. Sreekar Prasad handled the cinematography and editing. It was produced by A. Manohar Prasad and Mani Ratnam.

The film has two story lines that become one. The one features Father Samuel Fernando aka Sam (Swamy) and Bergmans aka Meesaikaaran (Sarja) while the other one features Thomas aka Tom (Karthik) and Beatrice aka Bea (Nair). The film marks a comeback for Swamy. He was last seen in Mani Ratnam's Alaipayuthey which was released 13 years ago. We can say that Aravinth Swamy owns the film even if the main actor is Gautham Karthik. The film's strongest point is the screenplay which was handled by Jeyamohan. The screenplay was simply amazing, specially the childhood scenes of Thomas. Both the child and the teenager who portrayed the younger Thomas have done a fabulous job. Both Karthik Muthuraman and Radha can be proud of their children. They have delivered a wonderful and neat performance. Specially Gautham Karthik. His acting skills, dance skills and action are pretty impressive. Thulasi Nair is natural, but I didn't feel that Beatrice was a suitable role for her. Aravinth Swamy was at his strongest performance after Bombay (1995). He was simply the perfect choice to portray Father Samuel Fernando. Arjun Sarja, the action king who has delivered a bunch of successful action- packed films in the 90's has portrayed Bergmans, the main antagonist. Sarja has played a role with negative shades and has shown us another side of his acting skills. Ponvannan who portrayed Thomas's unknown father has also done a good job.

Rajiv Menon, the cinematographer has pictured the whole film beautifully, specially the songs Elay Keechan, Moongil Tottham and Adiye. You will still have the shots of Thomas as a teenager when he surfs in the ocean in your mind even when you leave the cinema. A. Sreekar Prasad, the editor, deserves to be praised for his work as well.

A.R Rahman, who has been Mani Ratnam's usual composer since Roja (1992) has given the film a soundtrack with different genres. Chittirai Nila describes the difference between life and death, Elay Keechan has a farmer-humpback tune, Adiye has a jazz feel, Nenjukkulle, a romantic touch, Anbin Vaasale, a religious song, Moongil Tottham, a slow tune of Nenjukkulle and Magudi Magudi, a Hip-Hop track which gives energy in the action scenes. Kadal is the third best album of the Mani Ratnam - A.R Rahman combination.

Overall Kadal is a beautiful journey you never want to miss. It is a story that tells us about the good versus the evil. It has emotions, action, love, heart melting music, extraordinary shots of jumping waves, a good message and a small piece of comedy. It may not be a usual Mani Ratnam flick, but if you want to look and experience something different, then Kadal is definitely the right choice.

Strongly recommended for everyone. Specially non-Mani Ratnam fans.

I do not understand some critics do not like this movie. This movie was prefect. The cast in this movie was amazing. Even a small role was realistic. I never seen Arjun act this realistic. He really acts like a real devil. The ending visual effects was amazing. It was a experience like the actors were there. The music was once brought back by A.R Rahman. His music always bring us happiness and it does it again in this movie. The background music was again amazing. The Cinematography was good. The camera starts in a very amazing angle. The story was one of the amazing story ever. The story looks like a real man's life. Overall, Kadal is a realistic movie. The story,Cinematography, the cast and the music are amazing.

Final verdict:10/10

Wow...was the expression when the movie ended. Had I taken all the negative reviews seriously I would have missed a great movie. Only a seasoned director like Mani Ratnam can give such a beautiful film. After watching Kadal one can see why Mani Ratnam is a huge name in Indian cinema. If you have come to a conclusion that I am a huge Mani fan you are absolutely wrong. But this movie has changed my opinion about him. I was really really disappointed about some of his previous outing. At the same time I have not forgotten some of his great works like Agni Nakshatram, Mouna Ragam, Keethangali and Alaipayuthey. I like this Mani a lot not the one who made movies like Ravanan. I am well aware that this movie is not well received by his fans. But if you go by their reaction you are certainly going to miss a fantastic work.

Everyone in his crew has given their best shot including the new comers Gowtham and Thulasi. And what a powerful comeback for Arvindsamy. For Arjun it s a very different role as he has never tried negative characters in his film career I guess. Ponvannan is amazing as always. I don't need to say much about the technicians as Mani Ratnam would hire only the best in the industry. Beautiful camera, beautiful locations and some beautiful songs. So drink Kadal sip by sip.

Forgiveness or Revenge: When faced with the criminal destroying everything you stand for, which path would you choose? What leads to spiritual enlightenment, following a preacher formally educated in a religious discipline, or a peek into a heart filled with childlike innocence. Can a human truly be classified as being God or Devil, or are both entities inside each of us, and only the circumstances dictate who manifests outside? With a biblically inspired tale set in the backdrop of the lives of Christian fishermen in Southern Tamil Nadu, these are some of the questions director Mani Ratnam seems to be asking.

While the ideas of sin, redemption, revenge, forgiveness in cinema have been around since the beginning of cinema itself, the choice of the sea as a backdrop allows the director to use the various moods of Mother Nature to elevate the emotions in the depicted events, and credit, in this regard, is due to the cinematographer, Rajiv Menon. For a movie with seemingly lofty intentions, the actors do not disappoint. Arvind Swamy as the pragmatic priest who uses carrots and sticks to straighten a boy with an adverse past, Gautham as the enigmatic young hero in constant struggle to grapple with his place in the society around him, Thulasi the young convent girl who refuses to grow up, and Arjun, the man who made a deal with the Devil, and would stop at nothing to get ahead, all of them play their characters convincingly. The disappointments in the movie are the under utilization of some songs in the excellent soundtrack, and the final showdown which, although shot splendidly, could have packed a stronger emotional punch, either through better dialogue or by tweaking the storyline. Part of this could have also been an outcome of editing, and one hopes that an uncut version of the movie releases on DVD at some point that better explains these problems.

Following Thalapathy and Raavan, this is the director's third venture to be inspired by a religious epic. While the other two movies were more direct retelling of the Mahabharata and Ramayana, Kadal is not quite a reinterpretation of an epic, but characters and events were certainly inspired by the stories from the Christian faith (the betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection). Is it mere coincidence that the hero, born as a child to a woman named Mary, and constantly referred to as God's son in the movie, sported longish hair, mustache and beard on his thin visage almost reminding us of the Biblical son of God. Of course, if indeed the purpose was make a movie inspired by the story of Christ, then unlike Raavan and Thalapathy, why is religion an explicit element in this movie. Perhaps, since the question posed is that of choosing a path for life, a religious backdrop is inevitable. In a tale about forgiveness, Christianity may have provided the ideal landscape.

Director Mani Ratnam, it appears, has indeed traveled a far distance from his evergreen hits such as Mouna Ragam, Roja, Anjali, where the movie takes you through an emotional journey without necessarily asking you to stop and think about what you just saw. Movies such as Raavan and Kadal have through their sub-textual intent made us question our premises about their stories and possibly, our own.