Kadal (2013)

A wrongdoer is caught red-handed and he is not going to forgive the man who exposed him.

Director:

Mani Ratnam

Writers:

Jayamohan, Mani Ratnam

Stars:

Arjun, Arvind Swamy, Gautham Karthik

7 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Arjun	...	Bergman
Arvind Swamy	...	Sam Fernandez
Gautham Karthik	...	Thomas
Thulasi Nair	...	Beatrice
Lakshmi Manchu	...	Celina
Ponvannan	...	Chetty barnabass
Singampuli	...	Clarence
Kalairani	...	Mother Superior
Guru Somasundharam	...	Kovil Kutty
Vinodhini Vaidynathan	...	Fisher Woman (as Vinodhini)
Baby Rakshana	...	Young Beatrice
Eka Lakhani	...	Bergman's wife

Storyline

The film begins in a Christian seminary where two principle characters, Sam Fernandez (Arvind Swamy) a devoted good man meets Bergman (Arjun), who is more interested in having a good time. They have serious differences and choose different paths. Sam takes the way leading to the lord while Bergman takes to smuggling and other nefarious activities. Sam comes to a coastal village as a local priest and reforms a wayward young boy Thomas (Gautham Karthik), who becomes very close to him. Thomas falls in love with Beatrice (Thulasi Nair), an innocent girl. Due to certain machinations of Bergman, the poor priest Sam is framed and sent to jail. The satanic Bergman also brings Thomas under his tutelage and the truth also comes out that Beatrice is his daughter!

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Plot Keywords:

priest | love | seminary | christian | frame up | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

India

Language:

Tamil

Release Date:

1 February 2013 (India)

Also Known As:

Kadali

Box Office

Budget:

INR 500,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madras Talkies

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Anbin Vaasale
Produced by A.R. Rahman
Written by Madhan Karky
Performed by Haricharan

User Reviews

For once; the stalwart stumbles

Being an ardent Mani movie follower and an avid AR music lover I couldn't afford to miss Kadal, and didn't. Expectations ran high; and for a while with a thunderous opening sequence and a riveting exhilarating first half, the film held fort, only to fall away gradually in the second half and by the climax sequences and the anticlimaxes, the collapse was complete.

The film does start off well with the much Mani Ratnam traversed- social discard, orphaned child growing up in a low key environment - path, not very dissimilar to Nayakan or Thalapathy, and promises a lot while establishing the premises of how the light of good and the claws of evil manipulates the rawness of youth and innocence of love. But one couldn't escape the feeling that the master story teller having penned the film, had failed to draw starkly the lines of the characters, a task which he is usually so accomplished at, in particular that of the heroine and to some extent that of the antagonist. Incomprehensible is the heroine's character, and unjustifiable the antagonist's; both of whom the audience fail to identify with, and the method in the madness unbelievably unacceptable.

The film does go on however, shouldered by excellent performances by the artists, Arvind Swamy the stand out, Arjun, an admirable transformation in spite of a few hollow links, and a very commendable Gautham Karthik.

To his rescue Mani does have an ever reliable AR Rahman whose magic outscores the film itself, though with Nenjukkulle and Moongilthottam, it appears one song too many, but then no one is complaining; and the dependable Rajeev Menon whose visual treat had the audience in trance for more than a handful of occasions, with the hitherto unseen splendorous portrayal of Kadal(The sea) in all its enormity, tranquility, majesty and menace.

An appropriate end to the story seemed out of reach of the director, and the climax appeared tweaked, more an emotional compromise than a logical culmination; thus ruining the foundation of the story itself; and leaving many stones unturned and many fates undecided.

The film ends however, not before the audience is enthralled by some magical Mani moments - the burial scene, the tape recorder scene and the birth scene to name a few – but sadly you go back taking a few moments with yourself; and not the movie.