In a long series of rustic Tamil movies focusing mainly on the lives of villagers in the village or their struggle elsewhere, starting from Kadhal I think, till the most recent Angadi Theru, all of them have kind of a similar underlying theme - Tragedy. Stereotyping, according to me, is one of the greatest problems faced by Kollywood. Even though all these movies had a good storyline and some exceptionally brilliant performances, after a certain point, it just becomes too sad and heavy. Poo, Renigunda, Paruthiveeran, etc., are certain examples. The one movie in which this theme of sorrow seemed to have been forced upon, and the movie that caused me great repulsion to these kinds of movies, was Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu! Pointless killing of the hero in the climax I say. Thus, Kalavani, was a refreshing change.
The cast:
Vimal as "Arikki engira Arivazhagan" was brilliant with his dialogue-delivery and had lived the character. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The phrase girl-next-door has been used out of context many a time to describe many heroine characters. This time it fits. Oviya as "Maheshwari"has essayed her role beautifully. Let us not forget Saranya and Ilavarasu. Saranya's character portrayal is one of the best I have seen in a while and Ilavaru has done an exceptionally commendable job. Ganja Karuppu and the other members of Arikki's gang sparkle in the humor department. Ganja Karuppu's Polydaayil predicament is one worth mentioning. And lastly, Thirumurugan, as Ilango, manages to convey that he is not the bad-guy type and at the same time he is also one of the don't-mess-with-me types.
The Story:
It is a simple boy-meets-girl, boy-falls-in-love, girl-accepts, her-family-does-not, girl-rebels, her-brother-pissed, make-amends and happily-ever-after story. But the way Director Sarkunam has handled the story with brilliant doses of humor is what makes this story different. The movie is a laugh-riot right from scene one and this in itself makes it a worthwhile watch.
The story is set in two rival villages, and obviously, the hero and heroine are from these two villages (duh!). Arikki is a happy-go-lucky guy who coerces his mother and sister to part with the money, sent by their father in the gulf, for his and his friends' entertainment. He has a standing rivalry with Ilango, details of which are not revealed, who is the heroine's brother (duh! again). Mahesh, the heroine, travels from her village to the hero's, to go to school. The initial scenes when they meet and up until the point they are in love with each other, are exceptionally thought out. The better twists in the movie that happen in the second-half, after the arrival of Ilavarasu from Dubai , are really good.
Also, the nail-biting climax is one to look out for. The music is really nice but the songs except "dunga dunga duma duma dunga" fail to leave a lasting impression. The editing is crisp and the cinematography is praiseworthy, bringing out everyday rural life in natural light. Overall, the movie is one to watch, mainly because it will make you forget your real-life for a while and allows you to enjoy the fun with the characters.
Kalavani is a Must-Watch! It is a movie, that signified, to me, that Tamil Cinema is not dead!
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