Director Rajakumaran is making his full fledged appearance as one of the lead actors with Vijay Milton's directorial, Kadugu, which also stars Bharath, Radhika Prassidha, and others. The film is released by Suriya's 2D Entertainment and Sakthi Film Factory.
Kadugu is all about how an underdog in a society brings out a change in the perspective of a fellow common man. The film explores the lives of Puli Paandi (Rajakumaran), Nambi (Bharath), a school teacher (Radhika Prassidha), Anirudh (Bharath Seeni), a politician, and a school girl. These people, of contrasting professions, get connected with each other through a hard-hitting incident. What is that incident and how life takes a total changeover for all these characters? You are given answers to these questions in a dramatic manner, to an extent.
The idea of casting Rajakumaran in the character of Puli Paandi is very much appreciable, and after watching the film, you would feel, he has done complete justice to the role. He easily fits in that character and his acting is convincing. Bharath has also made a subtle performance, and his eyes convey more emotions. This film would be a memorable outing for the young actor. Radhika Prassidha, scores well, as a school teacher, who has undergone a dark phase through her childhood. Bharath Seeni is also impressive, and his combination scenes with Rajakumaran work well. Director A.Venkatesh, Subhiksha, the schoolgirl, and others, within their given screen time, do what is expected of them.
The film talks about a topical hard hitting incident that might disturb anyone while watching the movie, and the way the emotions are handled is justifiable, and not exaggerated. The emotions work big time, and the audience will be able to connect well with the film. However, there is quite a few melodramatic moments post interval, which isn't convincing. Not just that, the film falls predictable at many places in the second half. Most of the first half is filled with subtle humour, out of which, only a few workout. The film's engagement factor might be a concern for a section of the audience.
The cartoon flashback story is very well executed and though, there are no live characters in that, the way it is narrated, makes you feel so attached to them. The interval scene will definitely impact you and questions about Bharath's characterisation would arise. Likewise, the climax lives up to the expectations, and you might feel happy about the ending. The writing of every character has been done well, especially Bharath's, which has been written with utmost care and detailing. Apart from the hard hitting, and bold dialogues, the team should be appreciated for the message conveyed towards the end of the movie.
A film like this, with a strong plot, needs a powerful technical backing up. But, the technical works could have been even better. Though there are many long single take shots in the film, few shots look unstable at places. There are a few scenes, which end abruptly and the flow isn't steady. The songs are average, and the background score is good, to an extent, but doesn't make a big impact.
Director Vijay Milton is back to what he is good at; handling emotions of a common man in the most realistic way. His solid writing has been the main strength of the film, and the way it has been handled is neat. More crispiness and less melodramatic or no melodramatic screenplay would have helped the film much better.
[Reviewed after a special preview show on Wednesday, March 22nd. Movie releases on Friday, March 24th.]