Kurangu Bommai - An intense and gripping crime thriller

Many heroes go behind star value. Very few heroes go behind script. Vidharth easily belongs to the latter kind of hero. His recent films 'Kuttrame Thandanai' and 'Oru Kidaayin Karunai Manu' are films that were hailed as gems that emerge very rarely in Tamil cinema. Now 'Kurangu Bommai' directed by debutant Nihilan Swaminathan is a good followup to the two films though it cannot be rated on part with them.

'Kurangu Bommai' is the story about people with greed for money and need for money and how this greed and need affects the life of a man and his father who respect human values rather than money.

Ekambaram (P.L.Thenappan) a dreaded don in Tanjore captures a Ponchaloha idol. Sundaram (Bharathiraja) is Ekambaram's close friend and most trusted ally. Sundaram's son Kathir (Vidharth) is a taxi-driver in Chennai. He is against his father's friendship with an anti-social element but that does not take away his's respect for his father

Ekambaram sends Sundaram to Chennai to hand over the idol to the middleman Sekar (Elango Kumaravel) through whom it should reach the buyer who is ready to pay Rs.5 crores for it.The bag with a monkey sticker, which was given to Sundaram to carry the idol reaches, Kathir through an old man (Krishnamurthy) who loses it to a pickpocket (Kalki).

What happened in the course of the journey of the bag has the answer to what happened to Sundaram and how it affects Karthir.

Debutant director Nihilan Swaminathan is easily one of the promising finds of the year. Ably supported by dialogue writer Madonne Ashwin, he has given a predominantly gripping realistic film. It is a crime thriller that carries much more intense portrayals of how the need and greed for money dictates human behaviour.

From the first shot we get involved in the screen. The scene perfectly establishes the character of the heartless smuggler who respects and cares for his childhood friend. The title credits comes after the introduction of the main characters which is an interesting idea. Kathir's love-hate relationship towards his father is effectively conveyed in minimal shots and dialogues and the same goes to the unconditional love of the old man for his son. There is an interesting love angle. It is unique because this love blossoms after their parents attempt for their matchmaking fails. The situations that places Kathir and the girl are quite organic and likeable and also have a emotional value as she is in bad need of money to save her father. There is also a crazy pickpocket character which adds comic value to the film.

The film is narrated in two layers. The story of Kathir and the story of how the bag reaches him are told in a non-linear pattern without confusing the audience. The layer of the bag's story keeps you on the edge of the seat as you keep expecting some violence, some dark incidents to happen. The change, the characters undergo are shocking and that is revealed with enough surprise/shock elements.

In the pre-climax and climax sequences where the two layers merge, things get more shocking and intense. The climax is one of the most impactful in recent times though it resorts to a bit of cinematic liberty. The ultimate punishment given to the greed for money keeps disturbing you mind for long and that's the success of writing and execution. You once again learn that money cannot buy everything and keep you happy always.

On the downside, for a realistic crime thriller with a running time of just 106 minutes, the dependence on commercial elements such as fights (though all of them are one on one), a duet song etc could have been avoided. Ekambaran involving his innocent and loyal friend Sundaram in such a life threatning assigment lacks a strong reasoning. As this decision of Ekambaram is the most crucial point of the film it could have been given a proper explanation. The same goes for Sekar's decision to swindle all the money involved in the deal by cheating Ekambaram. If these elements were treated better, 'Kurangu Bommai' would have been one of the Best films in this genre.

Vidharth who has been constantly chosing good scripts and gives his best for the role has continued the same with this film. His performance reaches the peak in the pre-climax sequence where he learnts a so far hidden truth.

Bharathiraja as a kindhearted vulberable old man has given yet another brilliant performance with apt body language and dialogue delivery. Though many other actors would have done this role the one particular scene in which he explains the reason for his loyalty for the smuggler completely justifies his casting in the role.

Delna Davis as Vidharth’s love interest suits the role of a small town girl very well and she does not leave anything to complain about in performance side. P.L.Thenappan as the dreadful don is a revelation while Elango Kuamravel stuns everyone with a spellbinding performance in a negative character probably for the first time in his career. Krishnamoorthy puts up a neat show playing a old man who is in bad need of money for his daughter's wedding. Debutant Kalki as the carzy pickpocket evokes laughter with his dialogues and antics. He may get more opportunities in Kollywood for similar comical roles.

Ajneesh Loknath's songs are passable while BGM is apt in most sequences. But there are certain scenes where he could have avoided resorting to regular pattern of instruments. Cinematography by N.S.Udhayakumar is quite decent while the complex narrative pattern has been supplemented well by the Editing of Abhinav Sundar Nayak.

Verdict: 'Kurangu Bommai' is a gripping realisitc crime thriller. Go watch it.