Kaattu

Coming after a hiatus of 3 years following the forgettable dud 1 by 2 and the immensely powerful Left Right Left, Arun Kumar Aravind's Kaattu may not be a conventional entertainer for its lethargic unfurling of sequences - this 80's style laid back drama somehow impresses largely because of the characterizations and its old school writing and narrative. Highly reminiscent of the Bharathan-Padmarajan Style making of 80's (movies like Lorry, Thakara, Chaatta), the writer Ananthapadmanabhan has given more prominence to the emotional side of some characters rather than relying on new age gimmicks . Based on his father's (the late Padmarajan's) short story 'Ranimaarude Kudumbam, the plot is developed in the background of a fire-cracker manufacturing unit and its people someplace in the 80's with some excellent BGM and visuals of the Kerala -Tamilnadu border landscape and the ever present howling wind lending an eerie tranquil to the characters and overall setting. Murali Gopy does exceedingly well as Chellappan, the womanizer with a dark past, but it's Asif Ali who's a revelation as the dim-witted Noohu Kannu, surprisingly restrained and utterly dissimilar from his usual roles - their screen space heavily inspired by the Chellappanasari-Thakara combo from Thakara. Kaattu does have its share of let downs, length being the foremost factor and the negligence shown in making a period film without recreating the minutiae of that exact era. It also comes with its own share of supposed-to-be-misogynic comments, with the sexist/patriarchic camaderie and remarks of a horde of low-lifers - something that could be frowned upon in these times of feminist ammachis and anti-Kasaba style oppositions!

Not everyone's cup of tea; Comes with its own merits here and there. Nostalgic enough if you are a Bharathan or Padmarajan fan or similar 80's flicks!

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.

"Kaatu" is a Malayalam movie directed by Arunkumar Aravind as his fourth film. the script of the movie written by Ananthapadmanabhan based on the story written by "P.Padmanabhan", the story is happening in late 80s and 90's. Asif Ali and Murali Gopi are the leading actors, According to my opinion it is one of the best movies acted by Asif, the songs and BGM were composed by Deepak Dev. the negative parts of the movies are it's climax and it is strictly for serious viewers

The Movie Is Excellent....Asif Ali and Murali Gopi's Acting were too good...I Don't know y People Rejects These type of movies & Go after Overhyped movies...Bgm & Songs are too Superb...Deepak Dev Magic....Hope These Type of movies....

If Arun Kumar Aravind's "Kaattu" manages to leave the audiences with a feeling of edginess, then the credit needs to be evenly distributed amongst the makers. The scenarist at work here is the late legend P. Padmarajan's son, Ananthapadmanabhan, who conjures up a slice-of- life tale centered on a few oddball-characters at a fire- cracker manufacturing unit set during the late 70s, in a dusty terrain that falls on the Kerala-TN border: Chellappan (Murali Gopy), a womanizer with a dark past (who's also deeply compassionate, and has a thing for wagers), Noohu Kannu (Asif Ali) a slightly immature adult who has a crush on his pretty neighbor Ummukulsu (Manasa Radhakrishnan), Pauly (Unni P Dev) who takes pleasure in meeting his girlfriend late into the night with Noohu Kannu on watch, and Mooppan (Pankan Thamarassery) the supposed head of the unit with a bygone of his own.

The movie begins strongly with an honor-killing scene at a village in Tamil Nadu followed by a lost-in-thought Muthulakshmi (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) gracefully sharing the screen with the opening credits, penned in opaque red. Before we get to understand Muthulakshmi as an individual, the setting leaps to Kerala where Chellappan saves Noohu Kannu from his abusive employer at the local toddy shop and takes him under his wing as an apprentice, in a superbly written scene. The characters are established neatly at an unhurried pace; the camaraderie between the men is splendidly constructed - they pull pranks on each other, get drunk and dance together (for a song that goes 'Pottada Pottada') and ogle at the local women. The male gaze is apparent, and Chellappan's misogynistic attitude in particular, stands out. He has lately developed a use-and-throw approach towards women, owing to failed romance in the past.

The writing is solid for most part, except during the latter portions of the second half where some holes are deliberately left open. Music and background score by Deepak Dev adds to the unsophisticated nature of the proceedings - 'Ekayai Nee' though, sounds a little bit like his own 'Picha Vecha Naal' from "Puthiya Mugham"; the background score at times, purposefully carries the vibe (and riffs) of a 'western', ably complementing the cinematography by Prashanth Raveendran (it's a grimy world with grimy people - a point made clear through the excessive smudging of brown/orange; the only time a tonal change is felt is when Noohu Kannu visits his home located at a beach where the world looks a lot more winsome).

There are scenes that light up our brains like firecrackers: an exceptional one comes right out of the blue, when a seemingly distressed Mooppan walks into the cracker unit and lights up a beedi - the outcome obvious; another one where Chellappan funnily questions Noohu Kannu's love-life with a two-fold intensity. Noohu Kannu is surprisingly safe in the hands of a remarkably restrained Asif Ali (who now looks to experiment with roles instead of sticking to his chocolate-boy image). Chellappan, the seducer painted in shades of grey, is effectively portrayed by the ever-dependable Murali Gopy. I'd have liked more screen-time for the women characters (and better closure to some of them, at least) though they manage to pull off memorable performances on the whole.

How the film ends may not exactly be soothing to most audiences but I felt that it concluded the way it was supposed to. But if you ask me if I'd rave about it like I'd watched a Padmarajan (or Bharathan) flick, my answer would certainly be 'nope'. 'Kaattu' is a movie that could have looked tremendously better had it been shorter, with unabridged character arcs. The Tamil Nadu segment doesn't look all that convincing to be frank. A little bit of tweaking here and there and we could've had a classic right out of the 80s in our hands. Two things I absolutely, unequivocally loved - the raw, unbridled flow of emotions & the coarse setting.

Verdict: You may or may not savor this piece of cinema, based on your tastes!