Less than 6 weeks left in the year & there are quite a few interesting movies lined up for release. One of them hit the screens this weekend which happened to be Selvamani Selvaraj's "Kaantha" bank rolled by Rana Daggubati & DQ under their Spirit Media & Wayfarer Films banners respectively. The trailer had created a flutter among the audience & I was eager to check it out as it looked like a winner. However, looks can be deceiving.
Set in the 1950s, Selvamani along with Tamizh Prabha who had penned the script, gives us a glimpse of the Tamil film industry of those times. After delivering numerous blockbusters over the years, Modern Studios which was presently managed by Martin (Ravindra Vijay) was in dire straits & as a last resort he decided to revive the shelved project, 'Shantha'. It was the dream project of the renowned director, Ayya (Samuthirakani) which had to be dropped earlier due to the ego issues between Ayya & his protege, TK Mahadevan (DQ), the numero uno box office star. Eventually due to Martin's request & pressure, Ayya reluctantly agreed to work with Mahadevan on the condition that the heroine will be his protege, Kumari (Bhagyashri Borse). But it was easier said than done especially since Ayya & Mahadevan couldn't stand each other's presence.
Initially there were speculations that DQ's character was inspired from the life of MKT Bhagavathar, who is considered as the first superstar of the Tamil film industry due to the focus on the character's looks, singing ability and the murder allegation. Later on, there were speculations about M.R Radha also being an inspiration as he was known as 'Nadigavel' (DQ's character is referred to as 'Nadigar Chakaravathy') who was charged for the assassination attempt on MGR. Anyway though the makers have denied it, it would be fair to say that elements from both these real life individuals have provided inspiration.
The movie begins with the focus on the feud between Ayya & Mahadevan, before it becomes an investigative drama in the latter half. The transition is smooth and the audience is kept hooked to the proceedings that unfold. Though there are some impressive sequences in the second half as well, I felt that there was lack of adequate content to provide the effective connect between those sequences. The melodramatic scenes lacked the expected punch despite the excellent performances and technical prowess.
The USP is undoubtedly the performances with DQ producing his career best performance as he effortlessly portrayed the aura, arrogance and pain that his character went through. Samuthirakani put on an equally commendable act along with Bhagyashri who ensured that she is more than just a pretty face. Rana did a fine job as well & was certainly enjoyable from the audience perspective, but somewhere I felt it was not in sync with the way the rest of the characters of that period behaved. The rest of the artists have also done justice to their part.
On the technical side, Dani Sanchez Lopez deserves special praise as the cinematography had a major role to play here. The choice of lighting, the retro feel and shadows were equally important in imparting the desired effect and he aced it (pretty much like what he did in "Mahanati") aided by Llewellyn Antony's editing skills. Jakes Bejoy's purple patch continued as his score was in sync with what the movie demanded while the songs by Jhanu Chanthar was fine.
Verdict: Certainly expecting it to feature prominently in many of the award functions next year. Similarly, expecting it to be a winner at the box office. In short, do check it out!!!
Rating: 3.5/5
Regards...Ben
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