Kurangu Bommai movie review: Flawlessly executed thriller

Director: Nithilan

Cast: Bharathiraja, Vidarth, Thenappan, Delna Davis, Kumaravel, Kalki

At a time when big stars’ films disappoint the audiences to the core, here comes a small film Kurangu Bommai helmed by debut director Nithilan as a breath of fresh air. With a solid story and a very intriguing screenplay, Nithilan’s perfect non-linear hyperlink narration of Kurangu Bommai has emerged as one of the best films of the year.

Sundaram (Bharathiraja) lives in Tanjore along with his wife (Rama) and son Kathir (Vidarth) and a daughter. Sundaram works as an indispensable helper and assistant to a sawmill owner and smuggler named Ekambaram (PL Thenappan.) Given how Ekambaram had helped him in an extremely dire situation in the past, Sundaram’s loyalty towards his master is unwavering. His son, Kathir, who lives and works as a driver in Chennai, is all set to get married to Viji (Delna Davis) when a whirlwind of inexplicable scenarios and contradicting emotions besets his life.

Sundaram is tasked with smuggling an idol worth Rs. 5 crores and delivering it to Sekar (Kumaravel) in Chennai. Sekar schemes to have it snatched from Sundaram and have him be the fall guy in the process, playing a double game. Kathir, meanwhile, witnesses this and chases after the guy who had stolen it and succeeds in retrieving it. Little is he aware that his dad is in Chennai and was the elderly person who was assaulted to begin with. Can Kathir save his dad? What happens to the volatile that existed between Sekar, Ekambaram and Sundaram? Watch to find out the reminder.

The highlight of Kurangu Bommbai is the brilliant performances extracted by Nithilan from the entire cast. Bharathiraja plays the ‘feeble old man with weaknesses’ exceptionally well. The fact that he doesn’t mind being showcased as feeble and fragile amps up the emotions that the character induces in you. Kumaravel as the villain does a menacing job and is a pleasant departure from his past roles. Vidharth underplays and simply excels with is natural performance. The actor should be lauded for constantly choosing sensible scripts. Delna Davis is equally impressive. Producer PL Thenappan has done justice to his character. New guy Kalki who plays Sindhanai a petty thief after the Kurangu Bommai bag provides the necessary comic moments and Krishnamoorthy as Sekar’s aide does a neat job.

The technical aspects are also a big plus. Background score by Ajaneesh is exemplary and adds to the overall atmosphere. Cinematography by Udhayakumar deserves special mention. And Abhinav Sundar Nayak’s editing packages the film nicely to an acceptable time frame.

Given the string of recent blockbuster disappointments, modest endeavors such as Kurangu Bommai needs your support. Get out there and watch it on the big screens. This flawlessly executed thriller is not to be missed.