There is this mysterious thing about Arun Kumar Arvind's films that pulls you in and surprises you. His latest feature crime film, Kaattu, although has that quality, suffers from tedium. I am not a fan of films that has dialogues in multiple languages, and for starters, Kaattu is filled with at least 30% Tamil, which limited by experience. There is a backstory in the film, and which comes to the fore later, is not fully clear to an average person. Asif Ali plays a naive young man, in one of his best performances till date, whose life is influenced by an alpha guy (Murali Gopy) with a shady past. Things are pleasant in the first half in Kaattu, where the characters engage in petty banter while they create and sell indigenous explosives. But, after a while, the story goes haywire and stops making sense. Jealousy, treachery, and powerlessness play their part while we witness these characters fool around for some time till the ambiguous climax. Religious fanaticism seems to be the primary theme of Kaattu, but somehow it fails to translate even when you complete watching this 160-minute overlong drama that will be best, and probably only known, for its cast performance and the score. Other than Ali, Gopy, Pankan Thamarassery, and Unni P. Dev make the film worthwhile. There's not much to expect nor is there plenty to consume in Arvind's Kaattu, which is why it does not come highly recommended, even if you are a fan of his films or the actors. TN.
