Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Kaidhi (2019) Movie Review

Star Cast: Karthi, Narain, George Maryan, Ramana, Dheena.
Music Composed by Sam CS
Cinematography Sathyan Sooryan
Edited by Philomin Raj
Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj

We rarely see technical brilliance in our movies. Even though every department is expected to come together to execute a screenplay, we find a very less number of technicians really giving their best to the film. The head of the department, that is, the director has to be strict about what he/she wants to deliver for everyone to accept their job without creating issues. Kaidhi is a rare achievement technically as the film’s production design, sound sense and character design are very strong at every nook & corner.

Not even a single detail is missed while compiling soundtracks and nothing looks off too. When an unrealistic and extraordinary situation has to be presented in a film, we need a realistic and believable environment. A great amount of detail is necessary for the audience to believe that they are in the situation by themselves. This film gets that believability factor with authenticity added to the mix. You are not given time to enter into the world but you will have all the time to digest it.

While all these technical details are executed with aplomb accuracy, the writing flow keeps you engaged throughout the runtime. Like Arjuna whose eyes are always focused on the target, director Kanagaraj too kept his focus on setting up characters and delivering pay-offs without diluting the impact. But he went into a slightly predictable zone after a point and resolved few issues without giving them a proper explanation. Issues like a hero being able to survive any number of attacks or going to fight everyone without much of any help which we find only in films surface here too.

Also, few characters and scenes seem unidimensional at places but with the fixed timeline and within the congested space story has to happen, we cannot ask for more depth which will definitely take us away from the story. At times, people can feel restless as few sequences are purposefully narrated at a slow pace and on the contrary, few are resolved quickly than we expect. Don’t get me wrong, there is no inconsistency in writing. But the execution of few scenes seems to be varied.

 Spoiler Alert

When you take an example of Arjun revealing his true self to the world after the one-year hiatus as Brihannala with an unwavering announcement that he is still himself. This story seems to connect with that Gograhana war which lead to many supporters believe in Pandavas again. Here, the daughter started believing that she has a family of her own and she can be loved. Arjun or Dili himself showing to the world that he is back with all his might. Uttar Kumar being able to safeguard his kingdom can be equated to Police Officer Bejoy’s eventual success. Like Abhimanyu, even the young girl, gets her due happiness.

If we come out of mythological touch, the film works because of the flow it attains as an organic game. You find yourself involved at each level and character design is so strong that you just want to hit the wrong guys all by yourself, without any second thought. When you see a police officer “backstabbing” the believing hero, you feel like he is stabbing you. When a villain seems to have won the game with just brute force, another police officer who is seemingly weak, standing tall as a one-man Army stands out. The lighting effects that don’t hurt you even for one second and real emotions that connect with you at every level work. They all work like a good chess game, where the moves aren’t predictable even though the result is.

Actors delivered their best to the film and Karthi once again showed why he is revered as much. Lokesh is the main hero of the film as every character, every technician and every actor scores. Sam CS also came up with an enthralling score to arrest us. All-in-all, this movie works because of the teamwork that Lokesh could inspire with his writing and a keen eye for detail. If you want to learn writing for films, don’t miss this one.

Theatrical Trailer: