IDHARKUTHAANE AASAIPATTAI BALAKUMARA MOVIE REVIEW

After the cult-hit 'Soodhu Kavvum', the in-demand hot-property of Tamizh cinema, Vijay Sethupathi is back quickly. Another off-beat project and another dark-humored film. But the direction is by Gokul Ramana instead, who previously wielded the baton for the Jivva-starrer 'Rowthiram'. What's interesting is that Madhan Karky has been roped into the board as a dialogue writer and the barrage of peripheral characters. Did 'Idharkuthaane Aasaipattai Balakumara' satiate the thirst of fans of different attempts ?

Vijay Sethupathi, has rocked it once again with a brilliant and acute performance. This guy is raising the bar for himself, higher and higher for each of his films, and this flick is no different from it. The guy oozes composure and apt maturity to handle this peculiar 'Sumaar Moonji Kumar' character with panache ! His improvisation in dialogue delivery is fantastic and he finishes off his dialogues with the apt timing, needed. His theater experiences, have obviously molded this guy into a very good performer. The climax definitely belongs this chap ! Ashwin Kakumanu, has a parallel role as Vijay's, which plays an important part in the script. His histrionics are diametrically opposite to that of Vijay's and he has grabbed his opportunity with both his hands. Though some sequences might suggest a sense of over-acting or exaggeration, it adds more zing to the script. The balancing act sequences between his nagging boss and possessive girlfriend, was well performed. Swati Reddy and Nandita, look good on screen and did what was required from them, with limited screen space though their characters were of importance to the script. The supporting cast have been fantastic as well and all added more fun elements to the script. Pasupathy takes the cake but still others such as M.S Bhaskar, Soori, Livingston, Robo Shankar, Rajendran, Daniel, Sai Ramani, Madhumitha, Pattimandram Raja and etc were fun to watch with their unconventional and peculiar characters.

Harikesh and Karthik did their research well, in terms of the costume designing, as each character was very much complemented by their costumes, which reflected all the weirdness the characters portray. Anbariv's action choreography was adequate and very realistically choreographed. S.Sivaraj should be applauded for his very detailed work in regards to the production design. All the minute, small props mattered for the sequences, which mostly was shot on real locations and some of the artificial sets, looked very much realistic as well. Leo John Paul's editing styles worked aptly with the presentation of the script, though the second half's pace drops a little and the dragging factor, kicks in. Mahesh Muthuswamy's cinematography style was very contemporary and fits the mood and feel of the script.

Siddharth Vipin's music was peppy and appealing to the audience. "Naaye Naaye" is used as a background score during Vijay Sethupathi's introductory scene and also in the late second half. "En Veetula" is the pick of the lot, and was shot on Vijay Sethupathi and Nandita, in and around a low-cost housing colony board. Plenty of dancing and montages are interspersed in between the songs, and its also great fun to watch and listen to this number. "Yean Endral" was shot on Ashwin and Swati, and also had plenty of slow-motion montages. The backdrops were based on contemporary and modern urban-setting. "Enge Ponalum" is the infamous "Prayer Song" and was shot in a bar-like setting, which had good detailing work by S.Sivaraj. V.S Raghavan makes a cute cameo appearance in this song, and Vijay Sethupathi is slowly picking up the dancing skills. The background score too is fun and brings out the quirky elements of the script, very well.

Director Gokul Ramana has cleverly laid out all his ideas and plans and placed them well in his script. But the screenplay was a winner, which was very cleverly and intriguingly written. The narration does not lose its core contents and makes us to stick with the characters for the entire film. To add more strength to the writing, is Madhan Karky's funny, intelligent yet unconventional dialogues. The film is replete with funny dialogues and its great fun to watch black comedies, written and executed well in Tamizh cinema, these days. Though Gokul has perfectly played his cards by executing each of his mini-ideas into the screenplay, the second half could have been a little tighter. Also, the director should be applauded for his character sketching and apt casting for each roles. Not to forget, cheers to Gokul for ending this dark-humored film on a sweet note, which leaves us with a smile on our faces.

'Idharkuthaane Aasaipattai Balakumara' - We are "HAPPY", too !


Ratings: 3.25/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL