Kalavaani Maapillai movie review: Can be enjoyed only in parts

Director: Gandhi Manivasagam

Cast: Dinesh, Aditi Menon, Devyani, Anandaraj

Set in a town near Pollachi, Rajeshwari (Devyani) is an industrialist who can tolerate anything but lying. And it is for this very reason she doesn’t get along with her husband (Anandaraj) who married her by lying that he knows to drive a car. Her daughter Thulasi (Aditi Menon) a veterinary doctor meets our hero Deva (Dinesh), a wastrel from the same village and the inevitable happens. Yes, it is love at first sight (!) for both of them. An astrologer tells Deva’s mother (Renuka) that the former suffers from 'Vaagana Dhosham' and that he should not drive any kind of vehicle for the next 18 years. Now in order to marry Thulasi, Deva has no choice but to hide the fact to Rajeshwari that he can’t drive. However, the wedding is fixed between Deva and Thulasi, but the latter’s dad tries all his antics to stop the marriage.

Dinesh as a happy-go-lucky guy does manage to fit the character. But he struggles while in comic portions. Aditi looks pretty and has given a decent performance. Yesteryear top heroine Devyani who has been promoted as a mother-in-law is quite adequate. The actress still maintains her youthful gait and at times she looks like Aditi’s elder sister. It is Anandaraj who steals the show with his comic one-liners. Mottai Rajhendran and Munishkanth were wasted in insignificant roles.

Debut director Gandhi Manivasagam has faithfully followed his late illustrious director Manivasagam’s successful formula of combining humor in rural content, aiming at B and C audiences. The logic goes for a toss throughout the film. The sole intention is to keep the audience in splits. But with a wafer-thin story coupled with weak screenplay, the film did not yield the desired results. Technically, Rahnandan’s music is good and Saravanan Abhimanyu’s cinematography is colorful. It’s a film that can be enjoyed only in parts.