Review Overview
Performances
Screenplay and Direction
Technical Aspects and BGM
A Brilliantly Constructed Medical Thriller!
Kuttram 23 is a brilliantly constructed medical thriller from director Arivazhagan, who has made an assured comeback after his underwhelming last outing Aaraadhu Sinam. The film is also a fine example of how a good source material can transform a seemingly familiar narrative. Toting up, Kuttram 23 is a very good social-issue genre film whose heart is in the right place throughout.
Cast: Arun Vijay, Mahima Nambiar, Thambi Ramaiah, Kalyani Natarajan, Abinaya, Arvind Akash, Vamsi Krishna
Cinematography: Bhaskaran KM
Editor: Bhuvan Srinivasan
Music: Vishal Chandrasekhar
Directed by: Arivazhagan
Story by: Rajesh Kumar
Produced by: Inder Kumar under Redhan – The Cinema People
Release by: Across Films
Release Date: 03-03-2017
Run Time: 02:14:00
Kuttram 23 is a brilliantly constructed medical thriller from director Arivazhagan, who has made an assured comeback after his underwhelming last outing Aaraadhu Sinam. High on atmosphere, Kuttram 23 is an absolutely outstanding directorial effort for Arivazhagan, who stormed the Tamil movie scene with his debut film Eeram, an inventive horror-thriller which earned both critical and commercial acclaim unanimously.
With veteran writer Rajesh Kumar’s, revered as the doyen of Tamil pulp fiction, story as the crux, Arivazhagan has developed a great screenplay, which has all the ingredients essential for a thrilling ride. Kuttram 23 is a fine example of how a good source material can transform a seemingly familiar narrative into an engrossing thriller. Also, it’s an alarming wake-up call to self-assured directors who need to realize that writers are criminally underutilized in Tamil cinema.
The story follows Assistant Commissioner of Police, Vetrimaaran (Arun Vijay) who is entrusted with the task of investigating the mysterious murder of a Church Father and a missing case of a woman named Jessica (Misha Goshal). Soon after Vetrimaaran begins probe, one thing leads to another, but the storytelling neither loses focus nor dips the momentum.
Arivazhagan’s clever use of ‘white’ color palette throughout the movie, which is centered on a white-collar crime, produces a sense of eerie tranquility and an elegantly-toned backdrop required for a thriller, courtesy the slick visuals of cinematographer KM Bhaskaran. Kuttram 23 doesn’t have a complex riddle with unexpected twists; instead it rewards viewers with its demystification of the core plot with immense clarity.
Arun Vijay as Vetrimaaran has put in a great performance. He befits the role of an investigative cop and carries the film effortlessly. It would not be a hyperbole to state that Vetrimaaran is Arun Vijay’s most complete on-screen performance.
Another quiet achievement of Arivazhagan is the seamless blend of the message that he wanted to convey to the audiences without being preachy. The film is also bolstered by a slew of fine supporting roles including Thambi Ramaiah, who delivers occasional jokes, Kalyani Natarajan, Abinaya, Arvind Akash and Vamsi Krishna. Action choreography of Stunt Silva is another highlight of the film. The stunts are staged realistically with intense hand-to-hand combats showcased beautifully by Editor Bhuvan Srinivasan, who succeeds in creating the right amount of tension with his thoughtfully structured frames in action sequences and not-so-long lingering pauses which perfectly set the mood of the film’s genre, from the word go. Vishal Chandrasekhar’s attentive background score is a major asset to the movie.
Toting up, Kuttram 23 is a very good social-issue genre film whose heart is in the right place throughout.