Written by GR Aadithya and directed by Avinaash Hariharan, Kannamoochi is Zee5's latest original Tamil mini-series. Starring Poorna, Amzath Khan, Vivek Prasanna, Bose Venkat, and others, Kannamoochi is a five-episode series with all the episodes capping at a maximum of 30 minutes.
Priya (Poorna), a single mother, moves into a new apartment with her five-year-old daughter Ishwarya in a city that's new to her as well. She certainly likes the ninth floor house but right on her first visit, she is given a creepy welcome with the elevator jerking in the sixth floor and its lights flickering terrifyingly. She happens to befriend Santhosh (Amzath Khan), a food delivery executive with good intent.
Following that, Ishwarya is kidnapped and a horrified Priya is thrust into taking gruelling steps to find her. She leans on her only friends, a newly-appointed house help and Santhosh, but mostly traverses this journey with the help of a girl (ghost?), who only Priya can see and hear. The story then gives way for the major sub-plot involving a paedophile.
Kannamoochi's progress is completely entrusted onto many flash-back portions. In the broader scheme of things, some of these portions seem very unnecessary. Say the one involving Ram, Priya's deceased husband. However, the crux of the story is woven into a flashback segment with Devaraj (Vivek Prasanna), his lost daughter Manju, and Inspector Loudersamy (Bose Venkat). After getting a very lethargic response from the cops, Priya takes it upon herself to trace the case. But unfortunately, her way through to some very crucial leads is immensely assisted by convenience. This in-turn, devitalises the screenplay and doesn't provide a satisfying pay-off.
The supernatural element leads Priya into a past-crime and flashbacks and it almost looks like a careless search at some parts as the present-day scenario is ignored completely, or it seems. The premise of the series is something that can be played with very well, but Kannamoochi comes off as half-cooked for the most part. But, some stretches are really well-written and particularly, the fifth and final episode is an absolute delight to watch and experience. Due credit must be given to the cinematographer Prasanna S Kumar and music composer Sundaramurthy for nailing the complete episode and for amply aiding the writer and director's work.
Some scenes are staged to lure the audience into horror. Unfortunately, the execution of the thrill/horror elements only involve dated methods and end up falling flat. Moreover, by the end of this series, one could really say that some very interesting characters are left under-developed and want see more of their psyche explored. Nevertheless, the paedophile villain character's menacing approach is very well-crafted. Kudos to actor Radhakrishnan for literally owning the role. When calm and creepy combine, it does get a little uncomfortable. And this works in favour of the final act.
Poorna, proving her potential to carry such a heavy character and play it with conviction, delivers a meaty performance as the grief-stricken mother. She is seen smiling in probably just a handful of shots. She bears the pain on her face and does it exceptionally. She makes it look real and carries the show forward single-handedly.
Though Kannamoochi does tread on a bumpy road, some purpose is seen in the writing department at some parts and it is praise-worthy. When some of it really translates onto the screen, it does work well. But when it doesn't, it makes us squirm.