An Obsessed Mind. Review on Kadhal Konden Movie

Director Selvaraghavan’s ability to summon anxiety out of his ingenious screenplay is evident in this highly engaging psychodrama.

Vinod (Dhanush) grows up in an orphanage with no idea of the outside world. He despises even stepping out of the home because of his childhood scars, not by a stepmother's cruelty or by an uncaring dad’s whipping, but by a horrific incident that continues to haunt him. But Father Rozario (Nagesh) insists his potential shouldn’t go astray, especially when he’s been granted a seat in a reputed college and pushes him out. His unconventional nature and goofy looks give way for his fellow students to make fun of him, but are stumbled upon his intelligence. His calm personality, and intelligence wins him his only friend Divya (Sonia Agarwal) who develops a profound liking towards him.

As she slowly helps him get rid of his shyness and brings him out of his cocoon, Vinod begins to experience things he’d never before in his life. His relationship with Divya turns from friendship to dependency, love, and finally takes an even more dangerous form of obsession. He takes her to be his guardian angel and reaches to an extent where he doesn’t even hesitate to kill those who come her way. When Divya’s long time annoying brat, Aadi (Sudeep) proposes her after his heroic act of saving her from a dreadful incident, she obliges. The world comes crumbling down as Vinod realises he’s no more than a friend to her and dons the role of a messenger between the lovers. But unfortunately he’s not conventional in dealing with competition, especially with Divya being the prize…

Just when the story shows glimpses of being a regulatory triangle love story, Selvaraghavan’s screenplay begins to play with the audience.

Dhanush’s stand out performance as a troubled teenager was an eye opener, and earned him enormous praise from all corners of the industry and public.

Sonia Agarwal comes out with a credible performance in her debut, especially with her subtle expressions and emotional outbursts.

This movie also marked a new beginning of approach to storytelling amongst young talented directors who until then were sceptical about experimenting.

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s magnificent musical score and Aravind Krishna’s gripping camera work blend in harmony, resulting in poetic visuals.

Exploring the obsessed mind of a disturbed individual tangled in love, Selvaraghavan brings out its horrifying results in a convincing finale.