Kalvan Movie Review

Ratsasan’s DOP PV Shankar makes his directorial debut with Kalvan, a film based on a town nearby a forest, and how a series of events brings together four unlikely characters and puts them on a journey of life together.

The story of Kalvan is about two small time crooks in GV Prakash (Kemben) and Dheena (Soori), and how they go about their activities in the village. They then run into Ivana (Balamani) and the film’s first half is majorly about how the trio get into trouble with each other. Only when Bharathiraja’s character enters does the film get heavier in terms of its emotions, and the second half does have its moments where there is an emotional arc for all of the characters. The second half is the better of the two as there are quite a few scenes that will connect emotionally with the viewers, with the addition of the animal element which helps the film further.

GV Prakash has done adequately well in the lead role, and this time, he has a negative shaded character too. Dheena is one who offers comic relief alongside him, and though his role does not work out well in the first half, it has some weight in the second. Ivana’s character is well etched out, but the film’s best role goes to Bharathiraja who has a strong part to play and does his best to it.

Technically, Kalvan is neat and there is no qualm about it. The film also has two good songs by GVP – Adi Kattazhagu Karuvaachi and Pesaama Pesum Kannu are fine fits to the story.

On the whole, Kalvan is a mostly entertaining drama that gets its emotions right, but it surely have been a bit tighter. Nevertheless, it is a harmless entertainer that can be watched with the entire family.

Verdict: A cheerful entertainer that has a very good emotional core.