Kottukkaali Review

'Koozhangal' fame P.S. Vinodraj's sophomore film 'Kottukkaali', much like his debut, was screened at several  international film festivals across the globe winning accolades.  The female centric film produced by Sivakarthikeyan is all set to hit the screens on August 22nd.   Will this experimental artsy attempt be palatable to a wider general audience remains to be seen

The crux of 'Kottukkaali' centers around Meena (Anna Ben) betrothed to her cousin Pandi (Soori) since childhood.  However she falls in love with her college mate which results in brutal violence against her by her casteist village family.  Following centuries old tradition of considering "love affairs" as devil possession it is decided to take Meena to a temple priest in a far off village to be exorcised.   The entire film captures every detail of the journey and ends in what happens to Meena in the climax.

Soori has taken on the bold role of a violent man who unleashes his rage on not only the girl he loves but on family members of both sexes.  This role is much more challenging that the ones he played in 'Viduthalai' and 'Garudan' and he is very much upto the task.   The scene in which he brutalizes Anna and the others is riveting and so is the subtly conveyed transformation in the climax.  Anna Ben, a well known and respected young actress in Malayalam cinema has made a majestic debut in Tamil.    In the entire film she has spoken only a few words but expressed the extreme mental and physical pain her character goes through.  The rest of the actors are all mostly newcomers who have performed very naturally, especially YouTuber Puthugai Boopalan who plays Soori's dad.

What works best in 'Kottukkaali' is it is entirely rooted in it theme and its setting and stays true to it till the very end.  The film tackles a superstition that is a deeply humiliating injustice meted towards rural women.  It is also relatable to women from any background who have to surrender to patriarchal society.  The fact that Meena aka Kottukkaali stays defiant throughout the journey does surely give a high.  There are a few laugh out loud moments during the journey of the characters in the share auto and a couple of bikes.

On the downside the long running takes and painstaking detailing after a point become an irritant and makes the viewer beg for relief.  The abrupt open ended climax is intended to force the audience to think but those who have endured that long with patience will feel cheated.

Technically 'Kottukkaali' has won in experimenting with live sound that has immersed the viewer into the world of Meena.  The cinematographer B. Shakthivel has worked real hard in making the long takes work in both lighting and realism.  The editor too has ensured that the journeys of those in the bikes as well as the auto rickshaw are clearly unfolded on screen.  Sivakarthikeyan one of Tamil's topmost heroes, has once again given back to cinema by backing yet another artistic film.  PS Vinodraj has no doubt chosen the path of world cinema greats in telling his personal stories and has been well recognized for it.  However his hard hitting messages will be better off reaching the masses than a niche of film enthusiasts.

Verdict : Go for this experimental art film that contains a much needed strong message