Movie Review – K.D.

A non-risky feel good film

Officially my last of the first set of lockdown movies which I had kept in the list till 31^st may 2020. I thought the country would gain independence from Corona post that but seems it’s time to prepare another list. Not that I regret though. I’m at least saving the nation by sitting home and watching movies instead of going out and being a rebel. Also, I’m blessed to have a smooth life in the midst of so much hardship so let me take an ode to cinema and continue writing about it going forward too.

I wasn’t very much interested in the movie as it seemed to be a feel-good movie instead of being a movie which was raw. But it’s one of the movies which you can’t hate. The movie had a good opening, especially after they decide to kill an old man, we see a couple of people talk about the killing without any emotion. Also, there is a montage of a person doing that activity. Even though I had seen the same scene in ‘Marudhu’, I didn’t give much serious thought to it. Only through this film I got to know that may be this ritual could have happened in villages. Wonder how come we are totally not aware of so many happenings in the village.

Just before the directors’ name appear in the movie, there is a serious dialogue on what’s wrong with the procedure. If it had taken that track it’d have been an amazing movie but it resorts to being a funny movie. After an interesting monologue about himself K.D. aka Karuppudurai (Mu Ramaswamy) comes out of coma and escapes his household to set himself free. He gets to join a kid for his company. So together they make a risk-free combination.

Much hasn’t said about their struggle to earn their livelihood. Someway they find a living and live happily. In a way it was good that the film didn’t take the route of them both struggling to live because in the end it’s a feel-good film, it needs to get into the intricacies of daily life and un romanticize it unnecessarily. Instead the wise kid helps the innocent oldie to form a bucket list and tick it all off.

Parallelly there is another track where KD’s kids are in search of him with Eason (Yog Japee) being the main tracker. I was afraid that in the end, seeing the bucket list, Eason would set off KD free but luckily it doesn’t happen. But as an actor Yog Japee was wasted. Also, I didn’t like the casting of the old lady who was KD’s yesteryear love. A more dynamic person could have been selected. In plain words, she was just normal.

The film wholly revolves around KD and Mu Ramaswamy was terrific in his role. Except for the one scene where his friend tells about his love story, all the other scenes he was fabulous. Nagavishal as Kutty too did a terrific job. I especially loved the angle where he was a vegetarian, because he was born and brought up in temple. The biryani scenes were terrific. I’m happy that food becomes an important aspect in most of the films nowadays, starting with ‘Premam’ to my knowledge.

The film becomes a time pass film instead of becoming a great film because the way it plays safe. How emotions were used to lure the audience, music to accentuate them and story to be just one dimensional. The kids except a daughter who makes Mutton Biryani are pure villains. If it had been given a multidimensional angle and shown the film from all aspects, say like ‘Thithi’ then it’d have been a great film. May be that’s what differentiates ‘Thithi’ from the rest of the films, it’s impossible to find a fault with anyone in the film.