Kaththi

Diwali and big star films go hand in hand. And this Diwali, it's Vijay. After a plethora of problems, conflicts and confusions, Kaththi finally arrived today to a thundering response, sure to begin on a bang. AR Murugadoss joins hands with Vijay for the second time post Thuppakki, does Kaththi match up to that? Read on.

While Thuppakki was more of an action thriller, Kaththi has a strong emotional side to it. Though the first 40 minutes are a big bore, the film picks up right from an intriguing fight sequence between Vijay and two girls. Vijay's tryst as Jeevanandham is one of the high points of the movie, as it deals with a hard-hitting issue in the best possible way. Post the interval, the content takes centrestage with well researched facts and figures. AR Murugadoss saves his best for the end, firing on all cylinders with his excellent dialogue writing.

Yes, Vijay plays a dual role in Kaththi and his performance quotient in the film has surely doubled up. Be it the trendy Kathiresan or the soft Jeevanandham, this guy is a revelation. His acts in the emotional scenes are on another level, and connect quickly with the audience. Dance and fights are something which come easily to the star, and that continues in Kaththi too. Though Kaththi does have a tinge of his earlier films where he saves the people on his own, it is distinct in its own way. Samantha as Vijay's pair has been used effectively at the right places. Her role in the film is compact, offering less space to perform and just be the glam doll. Neil Nitin Mukesh is a thumping villain here, dubbing his lines to near perfection too. Just like Vidyut, we won't mind seeing him in more movies down south. The rest of the cast including Sathish are aptly placed, mainly the grandfathers who have worked along with Vijay. 

Technically, Kaththi is a storm. The film possesses stunning visuals thanks to George C. Williams. Editing by Sreekar Passed is neat, yet a few trims in the first half would have stepped on the pedal. The art direction is surreal, and the stunts do bring up the anti, especially the coin flip fight sequence. Anirudh's songs dont find themselves good placements, but he co-ops it up with stellar re-recording. 

Kaththi is no 3 hour entertainer to go enjoy, have dinner and go to bed. The film deals with a deep social issue. The audience here, are more like the media in the film. They will not care if this kind of an issue is shown on TV, written in a book or spoken about publicly. But with a star like Vijay at the forefront, this film is sure to turn heads. The silver lining here is Murugadoss, who walks the tightrope between being preachy and being massy, with absolute elegance!

This knife shines on one side, smiles on the other.

3.25 / 5