Kolai

This movie is such a pleasant surprise, I have no hesitancy in highly recommend it. It combines well developed characters, a great plot, energetic music, high level production, and fun cinematic angles/tricks to make a fabulous "who done it". Even if Indian/foreign movies & subtitles are not your thing, this movie carries a universal appeal that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and have you leaving the theater with a smile. Actually the subtitles make it more fun, and they even throw lots of English lines. It's a surprisingly good-time movie, and you'll be glad that you took a chance on this non-mainstream movie.

Credits to director for bringing a Hollywood pattern to Kollywood, actor Vijay Antony essayed a neat role as a seasoned detective. High points in this film were music, visuals & art direction. Short runtime with Vijay Antony screen presence makes this movie an interesting one. Rest of the cast had less scope, but they depicted a decent job on screen. Too many songs in this intense story is the short coming. Need to trim songs in this mystery tale, so it adds engagement to the storyline. Newbie Siddartha & Meenakshii are seen in very good characters, also their characters are neatly written. On the whole, this murder mystery is a decent watch mainly for the rich visuals.

Seriously! I am still in some bewilderment after watching this film. One burning question remains: what in the actual nonsense were all those amazing set pieces for?! Did someone just win a "most elaborate waste of resources" award?

Now, don't get me wrong, I actually liked "Vidiyum Munn" (2013). It still holds up as one of the genuinely good attempt from Tamil. So, when the buzz started building around this Peter director's "Kolai," especially with those intriguing trailers, my hopes flickered. It looked pretty promising! Then came the deluge of Peter director interviews, plastered across every channel, and my expectations plummeted. This guy was spouting mainstream cinema jargon and talking about timelines, I knew right then and there that the film was going to reek of artificiality, and boy, was I tragically correct. It was so mind-numbingly bland, such an unmitigated disaster, that the very style they were trying to push - the supposed driving force - turned out to be an unsurprising and utterly nauseating overdose.

I swear, the languid expectation of the trailers was replaced by disappointment. Okay, fine, the art direction and cinematography deserve a reluctant nod. There were indeed many fascinating sets, a visual feast for the eyes, I'll give them that. Otherwise, this film would have vanished from my memory faster.

In closing, the insultingly basic, plot is too basic and the treatment was so atrocious for an whodunit. Honestly, this whole convoluted mess could have been a decent 30-minute short film. My advice? Avoid this pretentious. Go spend your precious time and money on something worthwhile, like "Oppenheimer" or even "Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare" this weekend. Trust me on this one.

Director Balaji 's Hollywood style of filmmaking is intriguing. It gave a fresh feel to the viewers, also sound , art work & camera work garners a special attention till the very end. If you are a suspense genre fan, this KOLAI is the right choice for a wholesome entertainment. Short runtime is also a added advantage for this whodunit film. Vijay Antony & rest of the cast were seen in kingpin roles. Plot is simple but the way of presentation is classy & keeps us engaged throughout. As few flaws such as moderate second half, lacks twist & turns at regular intervals. Overall, a decent crime thriller loaded with solid technical aspects.

The director's over-confidence shows in the first frame itself,with unnecessary VFX shots spread all over the film spoils the mood of the flick which is not upto the standards... A mono musical track and it's bgm is the soul of the movie which is well -placed into the movie...!!!

Vijay Antony is a natural performer though just a grey hair change out in makeup and his personal melancholic mood sets out a drawback to the film... Rithika Singh is just a blunt presence and does nothing to justify the role.... Camera work and bgm saves the movie from a major disaster ... Overall a one-time passable flick to run out of ur time.