Kalavani Film Review

It’s hard to expect anything dramatic or even plain different from a movie that has no popular credentials to back it up. Give those preconceived notions the elbow since unpredictability is the essence of life. Kalavani an Indie movie, despite its unsophisticated title, comes across as a whiff of fresh air and stands apart from the other small timers for not having taken itself seriously.

The basic issue with small time movies is that they want to make a quick buck and hence come across as shoddy and despicable. What’s so different about Kalavani is that the movie is so light hearted and the cheerfulness is infectious. It unfolds and folds in the manner of a delightful short story.

Vimalraj (the grubby Meenakshi Sundaram from Pasanga) is the ill-behaved son of the gullible Saranya and her husband Ilavarasu. Vimalraj’s financial needs are met by his susceptible mother, whom he either hoodwinks or intimidates to fulfill his frequent needs to gamble or hang out with his friends. He pushes the boat out and spends his time whiling away, aided by his friends. In the course of the time, he also spots a girl and falls in love with her – much to the despair of her brother who nurses a rivalry against him.

But he dares those boundaries and abducts the girl, eventually marrying her. The brother, however, is still fuming with rage and is out to slice him into pieces. But does he do that? And if he didn’t, how did Vimal manage to avert that? All this is answered in an interesting climax that is pleasantly humorous.

For Vimalraj, this role is just a reprisal of his Pasanga chapter and he does it with ease. Saranya is impeccable as ever and Ilavarasu, as the dutiful father, deserves a mention too. Ganja Karuppu’s comical interludes save the movie from sagging in the first half.

Kalavani, thankfully, has no blood and gore. Although the director has been successful in bringing a remote village in Tanjore to the screen, the dialect takes a beating. It appears butchered and city dwellers will have a hard time deciphering the dialogues. But the cinematography more than makes it up for that.

S S Kumaran’s rerecording passes with average marks and a couple of songs, shot neatly, also manage to pull it off. Direction Sargunam’s Kalavani might not be an awesome piece of work, but the movie manages to stand apart from its contemporary Indie ventures for its sheer lack of pretentiousness. The movie is, therefore, guileless and an attempt to watch it will not ruin your weekend plans.

Verdict: Periya Pasanga!