Kalaga Thalaivan - An Engaging corporate thriller

Udhayanidhi Stalin has joined hands with director Magizh Thirumeni known for his cerebral thrillers such as 'Thadaiyara Thaakka' and 'Thadam'.  Whether the director has delivered on par or surpassed himself remains to be seen.

Thiru (Udhayanidhi Stalin) works in a company that manufactures heavy vehicles. The company launches one of the world's highest mileage giving trucks and the stocks rise high in share market.  However it comes to light that the vehicles emit several times higher pollution than allowed legally and the chairman tries to keep it a secret.   However the news is leaked out and the shares of the company crashes.  The corporate head hires a ruthless private investigator cum assassin  Arjun (Aarav) to find out who is leaking the company secrets.  As Arjun leads the investigation using violent ways he unearths a network of employees working against the company.  Who is behind the network and why? How Thiru is connected to it and what will happen when the timid hero collides with the blood thirsty villain is what the rest of 'Kalaga Thalaivan' is all about.

Udhayanidhi Stalin appears as Thiru a timid looking employee who turns out to be something else altogether as the film progresses.  His best scenes are when he plays a cat and mouse game with the villain.  He is also good in the action sequences as well as a few romantic moments.  Niddhi Agerwal as Mythili a doctor who falls for Thiru impressed by his intelligence has done a neat job.  Her emotional outcries in the climax when her man is in a hopeless situation is moving.  Aarav Nafeez has sunk his teeth into Arjun the smart and ruthless blue collar assassin.  He amps up the tension in all the scenes he appears always one step ahead of the hero and especially when he brutalizes his targets.  The ever dependable Kalaiyarasan plays the sacrificial friend with his usual intensity.  Anupama Kumar and Angana Roy are aptly cast in the crucial roles of Udhay's foster mother and Kalai's wife respectively.

What works best in 'Kalaga Thalaivan' are all the scenes that involve the cat and mouse game between Udhay and Aarav which in fact forms three quarters of the run time thankfully.   The entire sequence when Aarav tries to nab the whistleblowers in the railway station is ingeniously conceived and executed. The core issue of the far reaching effects of privatization of public sector industries and how people are affected by the chain reaction is well established in the screenplay.   The manner in which the protagonist's guerilla style combat skills come into use to face off with the indomitable antagonist is very convincing.  Especially the Bruce Lee reference.  The chemicals based action sequence in the climax is interesting.

On the downside the superfluous romance portions and songs come as major speed-breaks to the racy screenplay.   The plan of the good guys to take revenge on the corporate is pretty far fetched.  There are more than a few logical loopholes as well.

K. Dhillraj's cinematography is a big plus for 'Kalaga Thalaivan' with innovative angles adding freshness.  N. B. Srikanth has edited the film in a crisp manner though the clarity on some of the non linear time frames is questionable.  Srikanth Deva and Arrol Correli have taken care of the songs and background score.   Magizh Thirumeni has delivered yet another engaging thriller with a strong social cause at its core.  However this outing is only on par with his previous films while expectations on him are much higher.  Red Giant Movies has provided high production values required to make the film authentic.

Verdict : Go for this engaging corporate thriller dealing with an important social issue