Director Lokesh Kanagaraj who announced his arrival in to Tamil cinema with a neatly crafted thriller Maanagaram has come back with yet another solid thriller titled as Kaithi. A lot of films in Tamil cinema hit the screens under the thriller genre but hardly very few give us the adventurous ride of a thriller movie. Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Kaithi is one of that ‘very few’ kind. Actor Karthi who took a pitfall with his last entertainer Dev is on track with a super concrete performance in Kaithi. Story teller Lokesh Kanagaraj’s daring decision to chop of needless commercial elements like romance, songs, and devoted comedy track have yield positive results. Kaithi is a chain of events that takes place over the course of a single night.
Dilli (Karthi) is a criminal who is locked up in a prison serving his life term imprisonment. He has a daughter that he has never seen but longs to meet and spend time with her. In order to do that he comes out of jail in parole. Meanwhile, a team of cops headed by Bejoy (Narain) have seized the largest drug consignment ever worth nearly 800 crore and have managed to put them in a secret place in the commissioners’ office. Naturally, the drug mafia sends over nearly 50 plus goons to retrieve their product before dawn. The henchmen manage to sedate almost all cops in the station.
Dilli who is out in parole and on his way to meet his daughter comes across injured Bejoy who entrusts him for help. Dilli agrees to help the cops without having any idea of what he is getting himself in to. But Dilli has a past which had landed him in jail and here is when the mass moment begins. Now he must complete this mission that he has embarked to meet his daughter. Apart from this track there is a bunch of teenagers along with a frail constable who are guarding the police station. Dilli navigates through every obstacle ahead of him and manage to keep the cops safe with every mile he covers. But will he keep them safe till the very end and will he be able to meet his daughter is what makes the crux of the flick.
Well, the plot may look quite ordinary but it is the writing and narrative knack of the director that has made the ordinary plot in to an interesting entertainer. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj establishes his characters in a very short time in to the movie and manages to get our attention right from the word go. He then keeps us in the proceedings by giving us feeble dose of what is coming up next but allowing us to keep thinking about the possibilities. This he manages to do till the very end. Knowing that he cannot stay in the game for a long time with just the cat and mouse game he cleverly entwines emotional side in to the plot with the love of a father for his daughter. He has to win a battle that he is embroiled in, to see his daughter whom he has never seen. In the end Kaithi is the result of a cleverly planned writing and neat execution.
Actor karthi always turns towards brawny characters every now and then after starring in a couple of modish flicks something he has followed throughout his career – a success formula which has always given him optimistic outcome. Kaithi is one such brawny flick that falls in the lines of Paruthiveeran and Ayirathil Oruvan. Though, there is no scope or to be fair need for him to perform to that standards, he has delivered a solid performance with ease, something he has seasoned over time. Actor Narain has bagged a meaty role after Anjathey and has lived up to what was expected of him. Actor George Maryan is an apt choice to portray a frail character which he has done in a best way possible. Vijay TV Dheena offers comical relief whenever he appears on screen. The rest of the cast has served the purpose for why they were brought on board.
On the technical end, considering the fact that the entire film has been shot during the night it is undoubtedly a touch challenge but cinematographer Sathyan Sooryan’s have taken up that challenge and has delivered on it. His frames have worked wonders especially in covering the stunt sequences. Even in the absence of songs musician Sam C. S has registered his trade loud and sound. His background score is a big plus for the flick either be it in the mass moments or in elevating the emotional scenes.
Delivering a flick without the formulaic commercial elements of Tamil cinema needs courage but director Lokesh Kanagaraj not only has defied it but has delivered quality content. He has once again showcased his potential to become one of the best filmmakers of Tamil cinema but he has a long way to go to get there eventually.
On the whole, Kaithi is simply one of the best action thrillers that we have had in the recent times.
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Visitor Rating: 5 Stars
Visitor Rating: 4 Stars