Movie Review 'Kathakali': Visually appealing and moves at brisk pace

Director: Pandiraj

Cast: Vishal, Catherine Tresa, Karunas

If there ever was an award category that is along the lines of ‘stylish & good looking but lacking in the ideas department,’ then Kathakali is a film that is sure to bag one of those. Directed by Pandiaraj and starring Vishal and Catherine, the movie moves at a brisk pace, is visually pleasing, and is slightly stereotypical in the storyline and character development.

The movie begins with the return of Amudhan (Vishal) from the United States to Cuddalore. His demeanor and mannerisms are a bit Americanized and he often is mocked for that. Meanwhile, his family - especially his brother (Mime Gopi), runs a seashell business under a local ring leader named Thamba. Thamba controls this hugely profitable business in the region and this naturally brews envy and enmity. One fine day, Thamba is murdered and a power struggle of sorts erupts. The henchmen under Thamba are looking for a scapegoat and Amudhan seems like the perfect choice. In addition, the head of the Cuddalore police department has a plan of his own! He seems to be playing a double game where he’s keeping both Amudhan and Thamba’s henchmen at an arm’s length. This segment of the narration is laced with flashbacks and uncertainties over who murdered Thamba.

At the same time, Amudhan also falls in love with Meenukutty (Catherine.) The story behind this relationship is narrated in a way only Tamil cinema can: despite her initial disinterest, the hero stalks her around, finds out her address and even pretends to help her out while all the time lying. But under the guise of good natured fun and affection, these incidents feel rather trivial as him winning her over is all that matters. Amudhan of course wins her over and the duo is all set to get married when all this threat of violence arrives to spoil the party. The reminder of the story hinges on Amudhan’s mastermind ability to spoil the plot and beat the stuffing out of his enemies.

As already mentioned, the film is very visually pleasing. Vishal rocks the scene with his cool and easygoing nature. Especially the way in which he reacts to adversity seems very fitting of the image he projects. Catherine as his love interest is cute, bubbly and also given a good performance. Karunas impresses as a comedian and all other cast lend their solid support.

Pandiraj sure knows how to present a thriller in an interesting manner. The great thing about the film is that it moves along at a brisk pace. Clocking in just under 2 hours, not many scenes are left to drone on for too long. Additionally, cinematography by Balasubramaniem is very pleasing and atmospheric. Large parts of the film have been shot during the night and the lighting during that time is excellent. Hiphop Tamizha’s intriguing background score goes well with the mood of the film. For these reasons, Kathakali is definitely worth a watch. It’ll keep you engaged.