SUTTA KADHAI MOVIE REVIEW

'Sutta Kadhai' made noise for its unique teasers and posters. Coming from the stable of total newcomers, it piques the interest of audiences with new ideas and creative presentation. With some good artistes in the casting, did this pulp-fiction inspired film live up to its expectations ?

Television host and celebrity Balaji Venugopal and Venkatesh Harinathan play the two bumbling, dubious constables to a certain respectable degree. Balaji as the dumb kleptomaniac, uses more of his facial expressions and dialogue delivery to delivering his acting chops whereas Venkatesh, who has partial hearing disability, utilizes his good body language to bring out the character's personality. Nassar, was the true scene-stealer with his impeccable expressions and comic timing. The veteran simply oozes class, especially with his snooze mode antics. Lakshmi Priya Chandramouli fits her character and pulls off some stunt movements with confidence. Jayaprakash leaves a good mark with his unique dialogue delivery. R.S Shivaji, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, M.S Bhaskar, Jayamani, T.P Gajendran, Shanmuga Sundaram, Rinson and etc fits the crazy characters they enacted.

T.Ramesh's stunt choreography is a little over-the-top, but it was essential for this sort of script and Lakshmi Priya, handled most of them quite well and with ease. Sivakumar's costume designing was okay, considering the shoe-string budget he worked one, with some good, minute detailing. Sivaraj's production design should be appreciated, especially the police station set and the various props used for different plot settings, such as forest, comic book world and etc. Surya's editing was though slick, in regards to the length of the film, drags big time in the second half. Nizar's camera work is commendable, especially the way he has utilized the natural landscape of Kodaikanal and adapted it very well for the design and mood of the script. The night effect shots, were professionally handled, especially in regards to lighting. Kudos, Nizar !

Music of the film was handled by the Madley Blues band, consisting of Harish Venkat and Prashanth Techno. Songs were decent, but nothing really brilliant about it. The opening song, "Kattukulle" was terrifically designed, using the comic book template design, where the director intricately weaved the whole film's plot. Superb idea and execution ! "Yelay Yelay" had plenty of montages and focused on the lead pair of bumbling cops, rooting for the tribal female lead. "Dingu Dongu" was shot on a cheap liquor bar setting, with plenty of earthy tone and feel to it, which was complemented by apt set properties. "Twist on Top" is a situational track number, with good camera movements and angles, focusing on Jayaprakash's episodes. "Anbe Aaruyire" was the climax, situational song and featured a few characters going against each other, in a dark forest. Nizar did a very good job with the lighting, and the slow motion effect added to the pulp-fiction effect, the director was striving to present. The background score was adequate and fun.

Written and directed by newcomer, Subu, 'Sutta Kadhai' is basically a dark-comedy film, inspired by the 'Sambasivam Crime Comics' template. The problem with this idea, is that many will not be able to relate to such Tamizh pulp-fiction comics, and that was a craze for youngsters of a generation ago ! The fun quotient of comic book story-line and presentation did not translate smoothly from the print edition to it's celluloid version. The characters, though unique and quirky, do not stand out properly and is marred by poor writing and characterizations  especially in the second half. What's unpalatable is the fact that the film is crisp in duration, yet drags big time in the second half ! The funny moments and twists in the second half, falls flat entirely. A dark comedy should be not be just dark in visual presentation, but also in its writing. Subu can be commended for his various absurd sequences, but the connective thread is missing and the story becomes dull.

'Sutta Kadhai' - Novel attempt, but not so good execution.


Ratings: 2.25/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL