Film Review 'Kaithi': A commercial film with a realistic touch

Known to collaborate with talented youngsters, he chose Lokesh Kanagaraj whose debut film Maanagaram became a huge hit. Titled Kaithi, images of Karthi from the film reminded of his National-award winning Paruthiveeran. The film starts off on an emotional note where a little girl at an orphanage home is expecting one of her relatives to meet her the next morning. Simultaneously, police seize drugs worth Rs 840 crore and hide it in the basement of the Office of the Commissioner of Police, which was built during the pre-independence era. Somewhere else, college students have been detained by the police for drunk driving. These disconnected scenes make for the first 15 minutes of the film and lay a solid platform,connecting to make a riveting climax. The film’s intensity picks up after we are introduced to Dilli, who agrees to help a cop named Bijoy (Narain) who finds himself in a situation along with other cops, who are in an inebriated state. There are enough well-made action sequences as Dilli along with Bijoy and Kamachi (Dheena) make their way through the hurdles they face from the gangsters. The 147-minute Kaithi isn’t a film that can be split into first and second half. The interval is just a pause as the momentum keeps picking up from frame to frame. The plot unfolds and the action begins within the first half an hour and from then on it is Karthi’s performance and Lokesh Kangaraj’s style of narration and writing keep us engrossed throughout. You wouldn’t want to turn away from the screen for a split second as Sathyan Sooryan’s cinematography is top notch. The film is shot entirely during the night and the lighting for stunt sequences and minute detailing such as the villain tearing Karthi’s shirt pocket in a fight and the tools that are stacked up on the roof of the lorry are worth mentioning.

The strength of the film is that it doesn’t a heroine, songs and punch dialogues. Though it has deviated from the regular Kollywood template, there are enough commercial elements in the scenes that build up to the climax. Sam CS’ music especially during the lorry chase scene is on a par with his theme music in Vikram Vedha. Kaithi is a film that is somewhere in between Karthi’s Paruthiveeran and Theeran Athigaram Ondru. He tells Kamachi about his past life in a single take. Strong content and power-packed peformances help us overlook the gory violence and a little ‘masala’ flavour to the film. Do watch out for exceptional performances from George Maryan and Dheena (Kamachi). Overall, Kaithi is another milestone in Karthi’s career.