Kuttrame Thaandanai Review: Slick thriller worth a watch

CAST: Vidaarth, Aishwarya Rajesh, Nasser, Pooja Devariya, Rahman

DIRECTION: Manikandan

Manikandan of Kakka Muttai fame has proved that he is no flash in the pan with his second outing Kuttrame Thandanai, which is a skillfully weaved murder mystery. The movie  has made its rounds at several international film festivals and was critically acclaimed before its theatrical release. And actor Vidaarth turns producer with this movie.

Ravi Chandran (Vidaarth), a credit card collection agent has a peculiar eye problem called ‘tunnel vision’. His colleague is Anu (Pooja Devariya) who is fond of him. Meanwhile, the eye-surgeon who tests him reveals that eye transplantation is the only way to cure his problem and that he requires huge money for it. Ravi has the habit of smoking and when he does it at his balcony, he watches Swetha (Aishwarya Rajesh) who stays on the ground floor of the opposite apartment. He quite often sees few men including Vijaya Prakash (Rahman) who is her boss and Arun, a rich spoilt brat going and coming out of her house.  Meanwhile, his eyesight becomes worst. One night, he sees Vijay coming out of Swetha’s house in a tensed manner. Fearing some foul play, Ravi threatens Vijay to open the door only to find Swetha lying in a pool of blood.

Now, Vijay offers Ravi the money he demands for not opening his mouth to police about his presence on the day of murder. Ravi gets increasingly desperate when the hospital demands more money to bring him front on the waiting list. He now starts blackmailing Arun as well. What happens next forms the rest with the film ending with a fitting climax that also justifies the title Kuttrame Thandanai (Crime itself is punishment).

Vidaarth has got a solid role after Mynaa and of course by being the producer of the movie, he has actually chosen a character that proves his worth. He looks perfect for the middle class guy and in fact underplayed his role with lot of conviction. Kudos to the director for portraying him as a subtle person who never raises his voice even in blackmailing scenes.  Pooja Devariya as a lower middle class family girl appeals most part of the film with her refined expressions.

Aishwarya has a limited screen space, but it is her character, which takes forward the movie’s story.  Manikandan extracts the best from seasoned actors like Nasser, Rahman, Marimuthu and Guru Somasundaram etc. On the technical front Ilayaraja’s music sans songs is a big plus to the movie and Manikandan has taken the onus of cinematography, which he does it with aplomb. Barring the slow pace in the pre-interval portion, the movie does not have much on the downside. Clocking at just above 1 hour 30 minutes, the movie is a slick thriller that’s worth a watch.