Kurangu Bommai Movie Review

September 1, 2017

2 minutes read

Review Overview

Performances

Screenplay and Direction

Technical Effects and BGM

A strangely affecting mystery thriller!

Kurangu Bommai is a strangely affecting crime mystery, which is bolstered by a meticulously constructed screenplay of debutant filmmaker Nithilan and plausible performances of the cast.

Cast: Viddharth, Bharathiraja, PL Thenappan, Kumaravel

Cinematography: NS Udhayakumar

Music: Ajaneesh Loknath

Editing: Abhinav Sundar Nayak

Written & Directed by Nithilan

Produced by: Shreya Sri Movies LLP

Release Date: 01-09-2017

Run Time: 01:46:00

Kurangu Bommai is a strangely affecting crime mystery, which is bolstered by a meticulously constructed screenplay of debutant filmmaker Nithilan and plausible performances of the cast.

Making a bonafide genre film at a time when viewers grow increasingly impatient on slow-burners and seek instant gratification is one of the significant challenges that contemporary directors face today. And, putting together a nonlinear narrative at a runtime of just 106 minutes without any blatant commercial compromises is like walking a tightrope. But, first-time director Nithilan has delivered a sumptuous and genuinely gratifying nonlinear thriller by taking all the challenges mentioned above head-on.

2017 has already opened doors to some promising debutants in Tamil cinema like Lokesh Kanagaraj of Maanagaram fame, ARK Saravan of Maragadha Naanayam fame and Sri Ganesh of 8 Thottakkal fame. Like Lokesh, Nithilan has also reinvented a familiar narrative form, which is hardly exploited in Tamil cinema and joins the above list quietly without much ado.

Kurangu Bommai takes its own sweet time to establish the central characters. But, it finishes the job with the phenomenal writing finesse of Nithilan, whose impressive attention to details keeps audiences thoroughly hooked. The tepid romance track between the leads is the only downside of the movie, which is otherwise a flawlessly executed thriller.

The first half moves at a determined pace, and Nithilan expertly sets the rhythm of his characters until the interval block with the help of editor Abhinav Sundar Nayak (Uriyadi), who deserves a special mention for modulating the film’s tempo with calculated revelations at regular intervals. Once the twists and turns take shape and begin to unwind on screen, the entire suspense builds up to a tour de force climax, leaving audiences with a neck-prickling sensation.

Kurangu Bommai is easily Bharathiraja’s best performance, only next to Paandianaadu. Kumaravel, PL Thenappan, and Viddharth have done proper justice to their characters with great ease. Kirik Party fame composer Ajaneesh Loknath has tightly controlled the film with his evocative background score that lifts the spirit of the story.

Most suspense thrillers in Tamil cinema are usually let down by either predictable third-offs or contrived emotions to appease a section of audiences. That’s what makes Kurangu Bommai, where the climactic payoff flows organically and is equally gut-wrenching, an excellent effort in the genre. And, that’s what makes Nithilan one of the emerging original writers in the industry to look forward to.