Aandavan Kattalai Movie Review

September 23, 2016

1 minute read

Review Overview

Performances

Screenplay and Direction

Technical Aspects and BGM

Lovely, lighthearted entertainer!

Aandavan Kattalai is a lovely, lighthearted, feel good film from director Manikandan, who reiterates his position as one of the most versatile contemporary filmmakers in Tamil.

Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Ritika Singh, Yogi Babu, Singam Puli, Naaser, Chennu Mohan, RJ Thilak & others

Cinematography: N. Shanmuga Sundaram

Music: K

Editing: Anu Charan

Story: Arul Chezhiyan

Screenplay: Arul Chezhiyan & Manikandan.M

Direction: Manikandan.M

Produced by: Gopuram Films & Tribal Arts

Distribution: Sri Green Productions

Release Date: 23-09-2016

Run Time: 02:30:00

Aandavan Kattalai is a lovely, lighthearted, feel good film from director Manikandan, who reiterates his position as one of the most versatile contemporary filmmakers in Tamil.

How an inadvertent lie of a debt-ridden common man from the hinterlands, who wishes to go abroad to earn money, lands himself in a cobweb of inescapable troubles is the plot of the film.

Vijay Sethupathi, whose antics have been over exposed in recent times, appears completely fresh in this outing. The first half is highly entertaining thanks to comedian Yogi Babu who, for the first time, has done a substantial role other than just leaving the audience in splits. Ritika Singh has delivered an adequate performance of a journalist and her restrained underplay in the second half deserves mention.

Manikandan’s delicately structured story-telling is an absolute delight to watch on screen. He makes a solid social commentary on various topics like tenant-houseowner conflict in urban areas, discrepancies in passport issuance, judgemental treatment of refugees (Sri Lankan Tamil) without any in-your-face dialogues, applause-bait sermons and with great subtlety.

His portrayal of a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee and the subsequent closure of the character is one of the bests you will see on screen. The movie’s second biggest strength is the jubilant soundtrack of K, who has churned out an enjoyable variety of trippy sounds all through the film.

The film has been majorly shot in real locations and cinematographer Shanmuga Sundaram has captured the environments effortlessly with his lively frames.