Kadaikutty Singam Review: Karthi’s rural entertainer is high-on melodrama

Director Pandiraj does certainly have a fondness to make films based in small cities or towns, where family relationships play a key role. Be it his film Pasanga, Vamsam or even Kathakali – these films brought the closeness of the relationships. In his latest film, Kadaikutty Singam, he goes a step ahead by directing a full-fledged commercial entertainer that highlights the value of a big family. Starring Karthi, Kadaikutty Singam offers melodrama, action, comedy, and romance – all packed in a film to provide complete entertainment. But the lack of inventiveness, the repetition in the story robs it of becoming an engaging film.

The film starts with Ranasingam (Sathyaraj), a father of five children, who’s married to Viji Chandrasekhar, and still aspires to become a father of a male child. In an effort to please her husband, his wife decides to get him married to her sister (Bhanu Priya), however, she too gives birth to a girl child. His wishes then come true in his 50s as his first wife gives birth to a son, Gunasingam (Karthi). He grows up to be a farmer. Karthi’s five sisters wish to get him married to his nieces (Priya Bhavani Shankar and Arthana) However, he falls in love with Sayyeshaa. This leads to several disputes in the family. The rest of the story is how he manages to win everyone’s heart.

Be it the focus on a big family, the occasions, the colourful songs and the emotional tale – Kadaikutty Singam employs the usual troops that are required in a family drama. However, the film also tells us what it does differently. For example, the Ranasingam family serves beverages in a mud cup to their guests; they even offer plant saplings when they leave their house. Given that the film highlights the importance of a farmer, these are welcoming inclusions in the film. The film doesn’t forget to quash caste-based favoritism, which is prevalent in the country. Considering how this is a ‘mass’ film which is meant to appeal to family audiences, these scenes in the film would will help in bringing a positive thought among the audiences.

One of the film’s interesting aspects are the action-sequences barely have action in them. Take for instance a scene when Gunasingam, sends out a warning to the thugs by calling the ambulance even before he bashes them. And in the next scene, you expect a fight where men are tossed, defying physics, but director Pandiraj simply refuses to meet your expectation. He surprises you with what his hero does – this isn’t just once, but twice. It is only during the final portion of the film that we see a solid fight scene. It also has to be spoken about the villain’s way of avenging Gunasingam, when he asks his henchmen to give him examples of the most gruesome killings; we think he is going to do something big to the hero and his family. However, his antics don’t live up either the viewers’ expectation neither Gunasingams’.

A rural entertainer cannot be complete without a bit of drama, however, there is a bit of overdose with this film. The lack of a solid conflict which becomes a negative. It is established that the family members aren’t pleased with his decision but Karthi doesn’t give his logical reasoning behind it. He waits till the climax. His sisters are miffed with him so much so that they threaten to die, but just like Karthi, they too wait for the climax to change their mind. It is true that climax may give us the conclusion to the tension/conflicts faced by the protagonist, however, in Kadaikutty Singam, the conflict-worthy situation drags to an extent that it may leave you exhausted. The rift in Gunasingam’s family is resolvable with just a five-minute emotional speech, but it isn’t strong enough to keep you hooked throughout the film. In another family-drama, Aanandham (2001) portrayed the internal disputes faced in a big family. It also worked largely due to the talented cast, and the multiple-conflict creating sequences. In director Ponram’s Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam (2013) and Rajini Murugan (2016), the films didn’t feature disputes within the family, but between two different people in the same village. These films worked well because of its cast and the comedy it offered. However, in Kadaikutty Singam, the melodrama, sentiment may be crowd-pullers; however, due to a weak conflict, there is a lot of repetition throughout the film, making it tiring.

Karthi oozes confidence in his role of a farmer. If his debut film Paruthiveeran (2007), show him as a rugged and rough personality, then Kadaikutty Singam shows him as a polished, well-mannered farmer, who keeps his family as a priority. He is very good in the action sequences as well. Among the other actors, Bhanu Priya, Viji Chandrasekar, and Sathyaraj are convincing in their respective roles. The film’s leading heroine, Sayyeshaa doesn’t quite fit the role too well. I couldn’t help but notice how there was no lip-sync and coordination in all of Priya Shankar’s dialogues.

The film takes us on a journey into the vast village, the plush agriculture of the region and the lives of the Ramalingam family. There are ample emotional scenes that bring to light the importance of how important farming is and how undervalued it is. The film offers ample drama on the bond of a family. Watch it if you love this genre.