Kaatrin Mozhi, Jyothika's latest film, sees her join hands with Radha Mohan after their critically acclaimed project Mozhi. It is the official Tamil remake of Tumhari Sulu. Also starring Lakshmi Manchu, Vidarth and Kumaravel in crucial roles, read ahead to see how it fares.
The story revolves around Vijayalakshmi(Jyothika) who wants to follow her heart and do anything that inspires her at the moment. She looks at a job advertisement for a receptionist in a gym and wants to take it up. Similarly, she sees an ad for an RJ and applies for it. How her life changes once she gets the job forms the crux of the story.
Director Radha Mohan ticks the right boxes with the casting, including the cameo appearances by STR and Yogi Babu. MS Bhaskar, Lakshmi Manchu and Kumaravel stand out with top notch performances. Jyothika once again hits it out of the park with her emotions. The film shows Jyothika as a feminist, and the true success of the film lies in the fact that a lot of housewives across the state can relate to the character - Vijayalakshmi. However, we have seen Jyothika in a similar shade of characterization already in 36 Vayadhinilae, Magalir Mattum, and due to that, a certain amount of freshness is lacking.
Vijayalakshmi faces opposition from her sisters, father and husband. When she argues against them, she doesn't ask them to leave the house. She tells them that she will always come back to them because they're her family. Moments like these make this a very realistic film. Jyothika and Radha Mohan rarely go overboard with the scenes, acting, or dialogues.
There are moments that are melodramatic, but the other scenes compensate for them. The scenes where MS Bhaskar and Vidharth have an emotional breakdown strike a chord with the audience. We also get a climax that is perfectly logical and buyable..
The organic humor created works for majority of the audience. Some scenes are funny by itself and don't require dialogues. The portions involving Mayilsami slows down the film and looks like a commercial compromise. A few scenes like the appalam sequence seems unwanted. But the shift between serious scenes and comedy scenes are natural, kudos to the director and editor for the same. While the slow pace of the film might uninterest a section of the audience, the visuals are a delight to watch.
AH Kaashif has made a decent debut, but the background score seem to be loud at places. 'Kelambittale Vijayalakshmi' and 'Po Urave' lend good support to the screenplay. Inspite of these minimal flaws, the story of the film is solid throughout, which makes the film work. Jyothika and Vidharth often use the word 50-50 in their dialogues. Isn't that what feminism is all about?
Radha Mohan and Jyothika give you a bowl of curd with Sugar, along with this mature feministic film.