Kannadi Pookal is a honest remake of the Malayalam movie Ente Veedum Apponteum which fetched Jayaram's son Master Ashwin a national award for best child artiste.
A powerful emotional drama dwelling in detail about child psychology forms the base of the film. When action flicks and romantic films are the order of the day, due credit should be given to director Shahjahan for taking up such a sensitive theme.
Master Ashwin has carried on his good work in this Tamil venture too. Be it scenes pouring love and affection on his parents, emotional break down after he feels neglected following a second child born to them or during the days at reformatory schools, he is decidedly brilliant. For such a young star, his talents are precocious. Parthiban and Kaveri should also be complimented for a subtle performance.
The movie is all about the seven-year-old Vasu (Master Ashwin) who spends his days happily with his father Sakthivel (Parthiban) and step mother Meera (Kavery). Both pour boundless love on him.
As it happens, she gives birth to a baby boy and they show the same love and affection towards the new kid. Unable to tolerate the 'competition' for parental love,Vasu kills the child spraying a disinfectant.
The whole family breaks down and sinks in an emotional quagmire. Eventually, Vasu's wrongdoing comes to light and is sent to a reformatory school by the police. Though his parents are initially shocked by his act, they eventually come to terms with reality and plead for their son to be sent home.
Meanwhile, a psychiatrist Sarath Babu steps in and provides counseling to the boy. After spending some years in the reformatory school, Vasu returns home one- ay to see their parents with a new kid. The rest is whether he accepts the young kid or not?
Extraordinary performance by the young boy is the highlight of the movie. He walks away with all the honours. His looks and eyes radiate all the emotions -- the scene where he ends up killing his stepbrother is as good as it gets.
Parthiban and Kavery just ease through in their dignified roles. A huge team including Pyramid Natarajan, Mayil Samy, M N Nambiar, Ponnambalam, Anandh Raj and Fathima Babu are also in the cast.
The director has kept the narrative tight and simple. The film may be slow for some, but the point is that such emotional dramas take time to evolve. If you are looking for speed, head for F-1 circuit. If you like your film to be serious and sensitive, head for Kannadi Pookal.
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