Ka Pae Ranasingam happens to be the first feature of Vijay Sethupathi and Aishwarya Rajesh to skip theatrical release and head for direct pay-per-view. The film has been produced by KJR Studios and has been directed by P Virumandi.
Ka Pae Ranasingam was projected as a Vijay Sethupathi fare but it’s Aishwarya Rajesh’s show all the way and highlights the apathy she faces in bringing back her husband’s (Sethupathi) mortal remains home after what seems like an eternity and after running from pillar to post.
Ka Pae Ranasingam begins on a pedestrian note. We get to know that Ranasingam is employed abroad while his better-half Ariyanachi alias Nachi, played by Aishwarya is engaged in the affairs of the house. We also cut back to the proverbial romance portion and they have been sketched rather well with both VJS and Aishwarya maintaining the chemistry as evidenced in their previous films.
The movie touches upon various issues like water scarcity, unemployment, corporate greed, red-tape amidst others. While the intention is in the right place, the desired effect may not be on the screen at all times. Sometimes, it feels melodramatic. At other times, you do feel a tug at your heart.
Aishwarya carries the film on her shoulders. She is sprightly in the romance portion. Feisty otherwise, able to bring out the several moods of the character. As they say, what several men couldn’t do, a single woman does. Nachi manages to do it...almost.
VJS lights up the screen with his magnetic presence although, in a few scenes, he does give you that feeling that he has done this a million times before and therefore comes across as a little mechanical, especially in his dialogue delivery. Rest of the cast is adequate and are believable as the characters they have been sketched as.
GV Prakash's sister Bhavani Sre as Vijay Sethupathi's sister shows promise in her debut film. Rangaraj Pandey as the district collector, Munishkanth as the loyal friend and Arunraja Kamaraj as Aishwarya’s confidante lend able support without overselling it. Technical departments are fine as well and Ghibran elevates with his songs and BGM. Even if the melodrama is on the higher side, we can’t turn blind to the issues the film is warranting our attention for.
Ka Pae Ranasingam scores heavily on that front although better and gripping execution could have sweetened the nectar for us. On the flip side, the film runs an almost three hours and could have been trimmed for brevity. All in all, an appreciable affair.