Kalakalappu Review

 As people are trying to beat the heat, there is probably one way to keep cool - that is by heading to a theatre screening 'Kalakalappu'. As it happens the movie is Sundar C's 25th as a director, he has kept his promise of delivering an entertainer, eminently watchable by family audience.

As he does in his movies wherein the timing of the comedy proves to be the clincher, he has chosen the right time to release the movie - during the summer vacation when everyone is looking at ways to unwind and also chill out, sort of.

The maker of the ever-popular 'Ullathai Allithaa' sticks to the same formula - slapstick comedy and foot-tapping numbers and the presence of a comedian who can lift the spirits of the audience.

If it was Goundamani who  had the film-lovers in splits in 'Ullathai Allithaa', it is Santhanam in the company of Vimal and Shiva who go about tickling the funny bone in 'Kalakalappu',  which turns out to be rip-roaring fun ride throughout.

The storyline is wafer-thin but in a romantic entertainer that hardly matters. How two brothers go about life and how their contrasting characters leads them into quirky situations forms the crux.

With a lot of focus on comedy, the movie does emerge as an interesting package. There had been talk about an overdose of  glamour on the part of the heroines - Anjali and Oviya, but such things can be overlooked if the end result is to keep audience engaged and laughing right through.

The film is set in Kumbakonam where Seenu (Vimal) runs a restaurant that is facing hard times but he runs it to keep ancestral tradition alive. He manages to keep operations going thanks to big help from an elderly chef and his granddaughter Maya (Oviya).

There is one government health inspector Madhavi (Anjali) who is bent upon having the restaurant sealed as she feels it is way below standards as far as hygiene and quality are concerned. Even as she tries to go about her job, she somehow falls for the upright Seenu. But she has a 'murai maaman' in the form of Vettupuli (Santhanam).

Herein enters Seenu's brother Raghu (Shiva), a smooth-talking con-man of sorts, who adds to the confusion and in the meanwhile falls for Maya. As the story moves and the two couples are seen romancing, the two brothers get entangled in a missing diamonds case and all hell breaks loose as the bungling police official (John Vijay) takes over. There are the usual twists and turns as the knots are untangled.

Vimal and Shiva have stamped their class and come up with memorable performances but it is Santhanam who is the scene-stealer. The comedian, who is flying high with one wonderful role after the other, has extended his 'OKOK' run with a superb outing in 'Kalakalappu'. Making an appearance as Anjali's 'murai maaman' he brings the house down.

Some of his one-liners are set to become the talking point among the young and he gives the necessary pep to Sundar C's comeback venture as a director.

Anjali and Oviya have 'meaty' roles too and make full use of it with neat performances while veterans V S Raghavan and Illavarasu breeze through their roles.

Sundar C has shown his value as a director of commercial entertainers earlier and reinforces it again with a bang with 'Kalakalappu', which sure turns out to be a summer treat.