Kaatrin Mozhi movie review: Retaining the original essence of Tumhari Sulu
Director: Radha Mohan
Cast: Jyotika, Vidaarth, Lakshmi Manchu, Kumaravel
Jyotika and director Radha Mohan who teamed up for Mozhi, which got critical acclaim for the former, have come together for Kaatrin Mozhi, a remake of Tumhari Sulu. Did the duo create the same magic? Read on…
Vijayalakshmi (Jyotika) fondly called Viji, is a happy-go-lucky middle class homemaker full of energy and leads a contended life with her supportive husband Balakrishnan aka Balu (Vidaarth) and her only son Siddharth (Master Tejas). Despite the fact that she is a ‘12th grade fail’, with her undying ‘can-do’ spirit, Viji will take a shot at anything. And she does not mind coming second in a ‘lemon-and–spoon’ race for parents in school so long as she participates in the contest and never once dropped the lemon. Though her elder twin sisters Rajalakshmi and Jayalakshmi (Sindhu Shekharan and Seema Taneja who played in the original) who work in a bank insult her achievements like as though winning some random contest is not noteworthy, while her dad (Mohanram) mocks her for failing in 12th standard, Viji is undeterred, so long as she pursues what she loves.
Meanwhile, a visit to a FM Station to collect her prize changes Viji’s life. She lands up with a job as a Radio Jockey for a late night relationship advice show. The station head Maria (Lakshmi Manchu) gives her a new name Madhu with show titled ‘Madhuvudan Pesalam’. With her sense of humor and spontaneous empathetic responses to the callers, the talk show becomes the top rated one within a short period. The rest is all about how she handles the sudden huge success and whether she sustains it or not.
Jyothika who has a penchant for such bubbly and ‘hyper’ roles, grabs the opportunity and shines every bit as the ambitious Viji, around whom the entire story revolves. With her effortless performance, she can easily claim Kaatrin Mozhi as one of her memorable films in her career. Vidaarth, a natural performer that he is, once again proves it with his subtle yet assertive showing. His chemistry with Jyotika works to some extent. Lakshmi Manchu as the Radio Station head looks glamorous and pulls her stylish role with ease and élan. Kumaravel as Kumki, (the comedy poet turned show manager of Viji), a regular in Radha Mohan’s films as usual proves his versatility. Radha Mohan has added a few new characters to give local flavor, including Uma Padmanabhan as Saroja Mami who sells pickles and vattals for her self-satisfaction, MS Bhaskar as the morose Neelakandan who changes after speaking to Madhu, Manobala as Moorthy, and the apartment secretary. They do their job fittingly. Mayilsami’s comedy scenes bring the roof down. Yogi Babu in a cameo as ‘Mahesh Babu’ evokes laughter. STR also makes a special appearance towards the end.
While Mahesh Muthusamy’s cinematography compliments the narration, debutant A.H.Kaashif’s music is adequate.
Radha Mohan is known for his strong story telling ways and delivering clean family entertainers. Retaining the original essence of Tumhari Sulu without deviating much and with Jo helming the film, the filmmaker has delivered a refreshing and enjoyable movie that is worth a watch.
