Sunday, January 16, 2011

Kavalan

My Review : Kavalan



Vijay is back to his vintage best in his latest flick “Kavalan” which has finally hit theatres after many hurdles. Movie is faithful to its original “The Bodyguard” which was a hit last year in Kerala directed by the same director , Siddique. This is the second one from the director-actor combo after the immensely successful “Friends”. Though they were not able to recreate the magic of the former , “Kavalan” is better than most recent few movies of Vijay.

“Kavalan ” is a reminiscence of those golden days of Vijay in the mid & late 90’s with many such romantic movies of his which made him the most popular up & coming hero of those days. Seeing Vijay trying to change his track of sorts is in itself quite refreshing for Tamil Cinema needs heroes of his stature & charisma to be around to bring in the variety . Hope that he is not pulled into the muddle of politics & lost forever to Cinema.

“Kavalan ” as a movie is not a path-breaking , artistic movie which can be classified as a classic. It has its share of downers like the patchy screenplay , poor editing with poor song placement , very average making , gimmickry in the form of stunts. Yet it is a refreshing simple romantic tale with the last 30 minutes of the movie having one of the best twists we have seen in the last few years.

First half has a meandering screenplay which is very wobbly & patchy with the comical duo of Vijay-Vadivelu providing the succour to the viewers in the otherwise below average half. The second half is where the movie’s screenplay picks up steam & tightens leading onto a good finale. Its been a long time since the days of “Kadhalukku Mariyadhai” or “Thullatha Manamum Thullum” that a Vijay movie has such a poetic ending.

Vijay is good as ever showcasing his all-round talents be it in emotional sequences or comedy . He has tried to underplay with certain sequences not in keeping with his mass hero image & its the way forward for him. He dances like a dream & agile in action sequences. His combination with Vadivelu is rip-roaring & they bring the roof down with their comedy.

Asin looks jaded & disinterested in the movie though she is as chirpy & ravishing as ever in the song sequences. Mithra as the other heroine is adequate.

Rajkiran’s character though bereft with confusion , his portrayal of the role is blemish-less. Roja , M.S.Baskar , Lingstone , Neepa , Bakru in the supporting cast don’t have much to do.

Vadivelu is good once again with his combination with Vijay after their immensely successful “Friends” , “Vaseegara” & “Sachein”.

Movie is technically not that great infact very average in that aspect. Ekambaram is the cinematographer & it is a far cry from some of his earlier works.

In Vidhyasagar’s music “Yaarathu” , “Pattampoochi” & “Sada sada” are delightful melodies while “Step Step Step it up” is a foot tapping number. It’s been a very long time since a Vijay movie without a “kuthu” number . Background score is patchy with good work in between largely average work.

On the whole , “Kavalan” is a perfect decent family entertainer sans any violence or gore or vulgarity. Coming in the background of string of box-office duds “Kavalan” may help Vijay salvage some pride in the B-O.

If you are a fan of vintage romantic Vijay of the yore , then “Kavalan” is your pick.

Bottomline : Vintage Vijay..

3.5/5.

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