Magical realism is one genre that has been realized many times in Tamil cinema, in many ways. Kalaiarasan starrer Kuthiraivaal, directed by Manoj Jahson and Shyam Sundar, is a replica of the flying thoughts that one would have in their head during the day, with not much of a cohesion.
The film opens with Freud (Kalaiarasan) waking up in his room with a horse’s tail, and being shell-shocked about why it has come in and whether it is visible to the outside world. After this splendid setup scene, the film moves from point to point showcasing the journey of how Freud goes on a trip to find out the reason behind the appearance of his tail, and the people he meets on the way.
Kuthiraivaal has a very interesting premise that makes it a go-to affair for those who enjoy festival films. However, the film does not make the best use of its space and takes a step by step approach which is entirely psychedelic and trippy. The film entirely takes us into a creatively imagined world, which is hard to believe and tough to process. While the directors find enough flesh to project their unique and peculiar vision onscreen, not a lot of it makes sense and the film is set up like a list of events onscreen that do not gel too well but make up for a decent viewing.
Kalaiarasan is excellent in his performance as Freud, a troubled 38-year-old who goes on a journey to land the truths. The actor finds himself in a role where he has to shake up every 30 seconds, and it wouldnt have been easy for sure.
This is another example of the capability that he has, and this film will go down as a punchy outing for him. On the other hand, the other actors in the film are just about decent and do not have much to do except for Anjali Patil who is neat.
The film is supported by Karthik Muthukumar’s extraordinary cinematography which uses a fresh list of angles and keeps the colors up and running throughout. There’s also some nice music in it, with a special mention to the song sung by Pradeep Kumar.
On the whole, Kuthiraivaal turns out to be a creative yet indulgent drama that would satisfy fans of pure cinema alone. Kuthiraivaal Movie Review by Only Kollywood