Monday, October 31, 2016

Kaashmora review: "Karthi rocks even as the horror comedy tests our patience!!!"

Diwali is here & it's that time of the year when the Tamil film industry goes into overdrive mode hoping to cash in on the festive mood. This year, the big ticket movie apart from "Kodi" that has graced the screen on the festival of lights is "Kaashmora". Directed by Gokul, this Karthi starrer had created interest in the public coz of the catchy promos which showed Karthi in two avatars that was as distinct as chalk & cheese. In one of the interviews, Gokul had mentioned it was more of a comedy movie with elements of fantasy added onto it. So was the director able to convey his vision effectively to the audience???


Kaashmora (Karthi), a fradulent exorcist along with his family made a living duping people in the name of dark spirits. As Kaashmora's fame travelled far & wide, he is approached by a corrupt & superstitious minister (Sharath Lohitashwa) to help him tide over the trying times that might come in his path. At around the same time, a man comes to seek Kaashmora's help to cleanse a haunted bungalow in Andhra. Little did he realise that he was going to confront a real ghost who wouldn't stop at anything to reach the spiritual world. 

As mentioned earlier, the project is helmed by Gokul who is said to have impressed the audience with his previous venture "Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara". Since I havent watched that, I dont have a point of reference with regard to his caliber which is a positive thing. The first half of the movie didn't have much substance apart from the gimmicks that Kaashmora's family employed to hoodwink the public which does give rise to some genuine hilarious moments. In the second half, we are introduced to the actual purpose of the movie & that's where it does manage to arrest our attention as it had a faint resemblance to "Baahubali" with Raj Nayak (Karthi) looking more like a cruel Katappa. Frankly speaking, the humour failed to produce the desired effect & the running time of close to 3 h doesn't help the cause as the audience wont be able to resist yawning. On the technical side, Om Prakash & Rajeevan deserves a pat on the back for a job well done as they had handled the cinematography & art direction respectively. Santhosh Narayanan's BGM was fine but I cant say the same about his music.

Karthi is the heart & soul of the movie and he has given a brilliant performance in both avatars. His portrayal of the evil warlord Raj Nayak was nothing short of spectacular & there is nothing between the two characters that makes you feel that it is done by the same person. So kudos to Karthi for that. Nayanthara rocked in the brief role with her elegance, poise & beauty while Vivek does manage to tickle the funny bone. As for the rest of the cast, they barely had anything to do.

Verdict: Being Diwali, the film is likely to make a killing at the box office & will emerge as Karthi's biggest hit. So the question naturally arises as to whether the movie is so good. Well Karthi was brilliant but the movie does bore for large parts until Raj Nayak & Nayan's part comes in. In short, the humour works but not for long, however the film is worth a watch for Karthi!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben


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