Must Watch ( A Bold Attempt in Indian Cinema). Review on Kudaikkul Mazhai Movie

Parthiban has come up with yet another experimental venture named ?Kuddaikkul Mazhai? means ?Rain inside the Umbrella?. The name itself is very poetic and creates interest in us and his title has an additional caption ?Commercial Poem?. This movie make the whole Tamilnadu to take up a look because of his different trailer, a very innovative and a puzzling set as a hording at mount road Chennai, almost this hording has become the landmark here and also his press statements about the movie.

Plot (Somehwhat Revealed) : What happens when a TV compere madhumitha (Played by Madhumitha proposes an ordinary auto driver Venkatakrishnan (Played by Parthiban) at a time when he is in a big disappointment as a girl rejected to marry him. It becomes a shock to venkat and he also starts loving her deeply and sincerely but after knowing the truth that she she played a drama for a TV show he gets more shocked and stunned (like audience watching the movie) to an extent of getting a mental disease called delusional schizophrenia. He is physically present in the real world but mentally he is in an illusionary world of himself where there are only two characters he and her ladylove. And now comes another Krishnan as his brother. And what happens to all these three characters forms the crux of the film. Actually I have told only 20% of the plot because I don?t want to break the suspense.

On the whole there are only two characters in the movie and also some properties like a telephone, clock, rope, refrigerator, television, a modern art, a calendar plays major role in the movie. The whole movie is shot in a single old bungalow.

Screenplay by Parthiban is brilliant. Indian cinema has never seen such a complex, confusing and a puzzling screenplay before (Except Virumandi, Alaipayuthey). You will understand the whole movie only at the end. The climax changes the meaning of the whole movie. Am I creating too much hype on the movie, what to do the movie is worth it. The introduction of another Parthiban as his brother in second half and his lewd dialogues leads to lot of confusion though makes an otherwise tensed movie lighter for few minutes, but the climax again has a convincing answer for it. The whole movie is a puzzle and the screenplay has clues to crack it before the climax, don?t ask the story of the movie to anyone and try to crack it (but I wasn?t able to). Still there are many elements in the screenplay written brilliantly which I got stunned by, but I will not reveal it to sustain the suspense.

But even with all such difference the movie fails to impress you immensely. Everytime I get same feeling when I watch films directed by Parthiban. I feel something is missing somewhere or something is overdone somewhere. Though we watch a character suffering so much from a strange mental disease the audience don?t empathise the character. It may be because of a strange disease for which we are unaware of sufferings of it. That is where actually the movie fails.

The first half moves faster and puzzles everyone and the second half is even more puzzling but a bit jarring, especially the lengthy dialogues delivered by another Parthiban and also Parthiban explaining about the death of his mother to Madhumitha are annoying and makes you almost uncomfortable being inside the theatre. Those scenes were neither emotional nor sentimental.

Also the second half has uncontrolled twists and turns in the screenplay and after a point it becomes tiring one wonders why all these happens? Though But the climax has the answer to it, the layman may not appreciate his brilliance in screenplay by going back and relating the climax with all the previous scenes.

The movie comes with a caption ?A Commercial Poem?. Does the movie justify the caption? To say the truth, partially it doesn?t. There are no commercial elements at all in the film. The movie keeps everyone of us very tensed from first frame till the end. But yes some of the scenes, dialogues and his thoughts are very poetic. The scene in which he brings rain inside the umbrella to make his ladylove happy, making the 100 telegrams into a bouquet; his initial love scenes with Madhumitha and the scene where he makes a half moon to a full moon and kisses it are poetic.

I should congratulate Parthiban for the following

~ Making such a bold attempt and taking up such a complex script and also trying his best to make it commercially appealing.

~ As a director, producer and also the hero this attempt is like walking on the edge of a knife. He has handled all the three departments with equal balance.

~ He has given a brilliant performance as a person affected by schizophrenia and equally well as a brother coming from Singapore with his trade mark dialogues and excellent delivery of the same.

~ Screenplay with lot of twists and turns and a stunning climax.

~ Dialogues are very poetic at some places and equally confusing as the screenplay at many places.

~ Technically also it is a sound movie with stunning visuals and extraordinary background score.

Among the other cast (there is only one) Madhumitha is okay but quite a lot to improve.

Cinematography by a new comer by B.L.Sanjay is brilliant, he has used some wide-angle cameras and different angles the capture the confused mind of a schizophrenic person and it is almost moving like another character in the old bungalow. Art Direction by Vijay murugan is good goes in synch with the story. Background score by Karthik raja is mind blowing. He has a lot of potential in him. His brilliant background score elevates the emotions in the scenes. I wish this Background score should be released as an album. Hats of to Karthik raja. But on the flip side at some places it is loud and disturbing. The two songs are okay. The song sung by Illayaraja is a haunting melody. Editing by Sureshrajan is sharp and fine and has a brilliant job in editing such a confusing screenplay.

Altogether watching this movie is a different experience. Neither it commercially entertains you nor it softly touches your heart but definitely it shakes and shocks your senses for 2.5 hours. A movie buff and a classic movie lover should not avoid this film; watch it for its brilliance in screenplay and visuals. Forget all I said and take these words as my final recommendation ?Go, Watch and live in an Illusionary world for 2.5 hours?. Personally I liked the movie very much but I am sure the movie will bomb in the box-office but if it runs successfully then it is something miraculous and there should be a drastic change in the taste of cine goers.

Wait Ha.. Ha.. Ha? Do you think I watched this movie and wrote this review? No, you are wrong. All I said about the movie is based on an illusion that I had yesterday about the movie. Fools. Even I am doubtful about my state of my mind know, am I writing this review in reality or is this also an illusion. Go and watch and know yourself about the movie.

Continued in Comments?.(Don?t Rate my Revu Before Reading the Comments)