Sunday, May 9, 2010

Kutty Pisasu Film Review

Starring: Baby Keerthika, Ramji, Sangeetha, Ramya Krishnan, Ganja Karuppu.
Direction: Rama Narayanan
Music: Deva
Production: Rama Narayanan
The summer treat for kids is here. It is not quite often that film makers are inclined to consider children as their target audience. So, the basic premise of having a movie that caters mostly to children, and perhaps to the child in every adult, in itself is different and ought to be welcomed. But, putting that aside and looking at the movie objectively, this is what we have to say about Kutty Pissasu.

Kutty Pissasu is an interesting mix of the ‘desi’ elements that have pervaded our cinema for many decades and new age technology, an amalgamation of superstition and science (not very scientific). The basic plot of the movie is the old reliable good vs. evil tussle. The superstitious aspect of the movie consists of a human sacrifice, a temperamental but benevolent goddess, a centuries old boon, reincarnation and revenge. The new age angle is brought about a ‘Transformers’
 

style car which becomes a life-size robot every now and then to bash up the baddies and even dance to a few tunes.

Ramki and Sangeetha play the happy middle-class couple with a daughter who has just about started going to school. Everything is fine in their lives until it starts appearing that their daughter has become a different person altogether. How could that be? Well, there is only one way possible – when a wandering spirit decides to enter into a body to achieve its end.

What does the spirit have to do so desperately? We are told about how an innocent lady was put to death by a gang of men blinded by superstition in order to obtain a few magical secrets. Now, she wants to wreak revenge through this toddler. But, it is not going to be all that easy against scheming baddies. So, in comes the car (‘Transformer’) to help the small girl. And, as it turns out, even the car is a reincarnation; that of the killed lady’s brother, who too was a victim of the gang’s atrocities. There is also a centuries old boon from a goddess which protects the kid and her companion in her quest for vengeance.

Quite obviously, the film contains a lot of make believe and many points that require suspension of disbelief. But, isn’t that the kind of thing that we expect while watching a film that is directed towards children. It is not laden heavily with emotions and twists, just a simple good vs. evil fable and it does not take much to guess which side wins in the end. But, the bottom line is whether the kids will be able to enjoy what is on offer?

The first thing that one feels after seeing the movie is that it could have been a bit lighter and breezier for the benefit of children. The human sacrifice, the spirit, reincarnation and the goddess episode add a bit of tension to the proceedings. But, in spite of them, there is a positive feel and energy to the film. Krithika, the girl who plays the ‘Kutty Pissasu’ has done a commendable job. Her performance in terms of acting doesn’t evoke great appreciation, but she does score heavily with her dance moves in the songs, especially Dolo Dolo.

Among others in the cast, Ganja Karuppu gets a character role unlike the ones he has done in his career. With very little scope for comedy, he proves that he has the ability to pull off non-comic roles without looking too bad. Kadhal Dhandapani gets an interesting role as a sorcerer to which he has done justice while Ramya Krishnan and Nasser are polished in their brief appearances. The rest of the cast, including Riyaz Khan as the lead villain, do their jobs to satisfaction.

Technically, Kutty Pissasu has some fine special effects work to talk of. The fact that all the graphics were done without any help being sought from Hollywood or other industries augurs well for Tamil cinema. This is proof that there is local talent that can do a fairly good job. The dance moves of the ‘Transformer’ robot and its fight moves have been really well crafted. But, there is the feeling that the camera work could have been a shade better to match up to the graphics. Songs and BGM by Deva suit the mood and feel of the film.

A veteran like Rama Narayanan must be thanked for taking the effort to revive an almost forgotten genre. The intentions are very plain and clear, to capture the imagination of the children. Though there seems to be a bit of old school thought (like human sacrifice and reincarnation) which might not be readily identified by today’s young children, there are enough cars and colors to keep them happy and engaged.

Verdict: Jolly summer outing for kids!

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