Naan Kadavul

Don’t you know that films like ‘Sethu’ (Vikram), ‘Nandha’ (Soorya) and ‘Pithamahan’ (Vikram & Soorya) were directed by the same person? He is none other than Baala. No need to mention about the caliber of the director, since we all know the nature of the projects he took. He had once associated Balu Mahendra in film making. His films have given fame to Vikram who was then degraded as a third class actor; also don’t forget the fact that the latter has bagged a national award for the best performance through ‘Pithamahan’. Now it is the turn of Aarya to get trained under the ace director and to come up with something different through ‘Naan Kadavul’.

Aarya, the young actor who acted in films like ‘Ullam Ketkume’, ‘Arinthum Ariyamalum’, ‘Vattaram’, ‘Pattiyal’ etc has not got a good break sofar. It was heard that Baala has approached Ajith to do the pivotal role in ‘Naan Kadavul’. But he refused to do it, as the director demanded bulk dates which can be necessary for 2 – 3 projects. The same thing happened in the case of heroine Bhavana also, anyway in the end both were replaced by Aarya and Pooja (‘Thambi’, ‘Panthayakkozhi’ fame).

The story of the film starts in Kaasi when a father reaches there to search their son (Aarya) who left them years before. Anyway he found his son who lives there in a different manner with an unusual getup along with a group of saints. It is a myth that such persons have got an extra power to sort out the good and the bad people; they also attain the power to stop reincarnation of the dead people. As per request, the hero accompanies his family to the village. His attitude and habits shows that he is different. He spends in the den near a local temple most of the time. He came across a group of handicapped beggars consisting of children, ladies and old men, who has been bought and supplied by a local gang. In the end, what happened to the hero and those group who are associated to the temple is what we are shown through in ‘Naan Kadavul’.

By mentioning the story line, I made the complex things lighter. But the director has not done it as simply as you expect. The introduction scene of the hero in the “sheers asana” position (legs up and head down) with a semi devotional song in the background gives us an idea of the character. Aarya, as the hero here is not talking much, only few words, as the scene demands. Pooja, as a blind lady has given her best. Her performance with the different make up in the climax is remarkable. Rajendran, who was an assistant to stunt master Thyagarajan for many years, is coming in the villain character that controls the beggar mafia.

The director might be appreciated for making different characters using real handicapped people and make them perform by showing different emotions according to their mood. It is also true that the scenes showing the detailing of some of the handicapped characters might not be so easy to digest. There is no gimmicks used, but it is a reality which we had to accept. (Some of the dialogues told by the characters are not able to follow).

The main back bone of the film is the excellent background score by Music maestro Ilayaraja. The songs are not commercialized and it is done as per wish of the director to show the tough situations only. Some of the old songs by MS Viswanathan have also been used here. Camera by Arthur Wilson is superb. Super Subbarayan's action scenes has got a real look. Aarya's performance with his excellent body language is different and notable. He can use ‘Naan Kadavul’ on the top while he shows his profile. Baala’s dedication in creating such a film without any big actors and many amateurs needs special mention. Climax is different and suits the story very well.

It is not easy to write a complete review based on a film like ‘Naan Kadavul’, since this is a different film with unusual ingredients. Surely, this film will haunt you for days.

Never go for ‘Naan Kadavul’ expecting it to be a usual entertainer, rather it is a serious experiment on the darker side of humans. (Those who approach films seriously should only watch it)

Rating : 3.5 / 5 (revised)