Kadal (2013)

Captivating movie !

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

So it's time we saw a Mani Ratnam film again. The director appears once every three years, with his insurmountable reputation and brings along a ton of critics Mani Ratnam tells a grand but simple tale this time, that of the Christian concept of god vs the devil. As usual mani;s conceptualisation skills is still untouched and gets better over the years His film metaphors the sea (Kadal in Tamil) to great effect.Watching a Mani Ratnam film, you inevitably compare 'Kadal,' with his earlier films.But the the canvas of Kadal is bigger than a mere coincidence of the scenes from some of Maniratnam's earlier movies with familiar childhood nayagan, visuals of kannathil muthamittal, emotions and ideology of Thalapathy and the familiar romance from Alaipayuthey. Again we cannot find any hint of the director rehashing his old work although segments of the movie have similar themes to his past work . Of course no ratnam movie is complete without his trademark "events should be imagined through words and dialogues rather than shown" scenes which u will find aplenty in this movie.Kadal, is a story of good versus evil, of retribution and forgiveness told in the inimitable style of Mani Ratnam. Every single member of the cast and crew have acted very well in Kadal The impressive part of the movie is the attention to detail of the rural landscape attitudes, scenery and the mannerisms portrayed. Only Ratnam has an eye for little details, borrowed from life. The cinematography in kadal is the best Maniratnam has ever produced since his 1992 magnum opus movie Roja,thanks to the ever roving camera of Rajiv menon. You will feel that u are actually there as part of the story and the sea.The débutante young lead stars are surprisingly excellent for first timers in their performance .The former heart rob of the 90s and a favourite cast of Maniratnam, Arvindswamy carries the movie with a coming of age bold and divine persona. The movie marks the comeback of the actor in a graceful way.Its probably the first time Arjun has been put into a seemingly villain role and a first in a maniratnam movie and it was a pleasure to see him and his excellent mannerisms which are true to life on the big screen.If u are the kind who prefer to walk in to the trashy mainstream masala cinema and happen to dislike the movie due to its unconventional story and theme, then mani has a way of enjoying the movie , that by giving u a movie of his which has the best cinematography, editing and acting scenes and an accurate portrayal of a Christian fishing village .Having said that, you have to actually sit through this film to experience the godsend combined effect of Rajiv Menon's stunning visuals and AR Rahman's soulful compositions. Overall well done flick but some may be too harsh to put the movie down afterall it does take intelligence and appreciation to watch a movie that borders thinly on commercial cinema and that of art-house variety which maniratnam does exceptionally well , more so than other other director in the Indian movie industry today.We know his ability to churn out masterpieces which will never go wrong even if they are commercial flops and Kadal is the Maniratnam movie just like his past movies which lingers in your mind long after u leave the theatreDon't have to think twice . Just watch it.

Wow...was the expression when the movie ended. Had I taken all the negative reviews seriously I would have missed a great movie. Only a seasoned director like Mani Ratnam can give such a beautiful film. After watching Kadal one can see why Mani Ratnam is a huge name in Indian cinema. If you have come to a conclusion that I am a huge Mani fan you are absolutely wrong. But this movie has changed my opinion about him. I was really really disappointed about some of his previous outing. At the same time I have not forgotten some of his great works like Agni Nakshatram, Mouna Ragam, Keethangali and Alaipayuthey. I like this Mani a lot not the one who made movies like Ravanan. I am well aware that this movie is not well received by his fans. But if you go by their reaction you are certainly going to miss a fantastic work.Everyone in his crew has given their best shot including the new comers Gowtham and Thulasi. And what a powerful comeback for Arvindsamy. For Arjun it s a very different role as he has never tried negative characters in his film career I guess. Ponvannan is amazing as always. I don't need to say much about the technicians as Mani Ratnam would hire only the best in the industry. Beautiful camera, beautiful locations and some beautiful songs. So drink Kadal sip by sip.

Awesome songs, good photography skills & good actors alone cannot make a good movie. The story misses good script, editing & timing for launching the songs. Once again A.R Rahman delivers his part, but Mani fails to show it on the screen. Now I see Mani going along the lines of RGV, once a talented director & now you would not bother to watch any of his movies. First Ravan & now Kadal. Small time directors are making better movies, so what's so special about watching a Mani Ratnam movie?People watch big budget movies for good entertainment, value for money, to get a break from the horrible week's routine. After watching such a movie you realize that spending 3 hrs of time with your family or at work would have been more productive. Sorry Mani, I had great expectation from this movie, all I can say is that this movie deserves 1 star for your Direction abilities. Had it been a first timer or a new director I would have given 5 stars out of 10. Pls don't waste your precious time to watch this crap.

KADAL - Brilliantly Awesome ! Class !! I heard many negative reviews about Kadal, not reviews they're opinions. I don't know what is wrong, maybe they don't understand/know what is Class cinema or they liked typical comedy, entertainers. After seeing Kadal, I realise 90% movie reviewers have no idea of Class Cinema. They don't know how to approach and understand the script. Entertaining cinema get immediate response but vanish, Class cinema take time to merge. Once it merges, its forever ! In Kadal there are numerous scenes with a lot of depth. This is typical Mani ratnam touch, i shall rather say its more than his usual touch ! Do watch and enjoy the magic ! KADAL IS CLASS CINEMA !!