Kaithi… An engaging Thriller


ANew age thriller Tamil movie, that had worked wonders in the south Indian box office¹. In this article, I just point out what works for me in this movie.

The usual Staple of a Tamil movie is the cliche element, that gets added in the name of an audience, whether (or) not it serves a purpose in the plot.

Characters that have no purpose in the narration (Mostly called Comedy Tracks)
Songs Shot in Exotic Foreign Location².
Glamorous Hero-in (or) a Dancer at least in 1 Song.
Punch Dialogues (Staple of Tamil Movies)
Excessive CGI
Hero Build Ups
Unwanted Sentiments Scene
There is a reason why I listed these items above in this article, it’s because Kaithi doesn’t have any of these, and yet it’s a Blockbuster. This new-age³ movie does not even have heroin.

This movie is undoubtedly another version of Good vs Evil & in the end we get to know who wins⁴, but where Dir Lokesh succeeds is in the wonder nonlinear screenplay & presentation. The very first thing I like is that he did not take his audience for granted, he respected them & has tried his level best to give them a genuinely fresh experience. Almost till the first 20 minutes into the movie, we don’t get to see the Hero, which is a big thing for a Tamil movie. Additionally, this movie has no Day Time shot⁵

The movie starts with STF raids & events surrounding these raids. Past this, we see all Law & Order higher officials of the city in a single location and some unfortunate events surrounding this. While arriving at this location, STF Inspector Bejoy asks about the suspect in the patrol vehicle to a fellow Inspector of Police. Then it shows that he (Dilli) was standing specially in a bus stop, hence was arrested. It’s when a series of events unfold, and in the end, all officials except STF Inspector are drugged. This is when we first get a glimpse of the voice of our hero and it's a heated conversation with the STF Inspector & then later we get to see his face. He agrees to help STF Inspector to drive the Truck. From here it’s all a racy cat/mouse game.

Almost from reel 2 (I believe), we have parallel narration (Yes nonlinear storytelling) which revolves around 2 central characters.

Character 1 — Dilli, who is helping the STF Inspector to ensure the safety of all Officials who have been drugged.
Character 2 — Constable Napoleon, who is now suddenly in charge to save the Inspector General's Office. Without Knowing the danger
Once the pace picks up, it’s all show of the Stunt Choreographer duo, they have one of the best daring sequences in recent Tamil movies. As the movie is set entirely at night it might have been difficult to get this done, but they have done a great job of ensuring quality. Next both Cinematographer & Music Director have done an equally awesome job of ensuring they contribute their best.

Most of the movie's success is sealed based on how best the casting director has done his job. Here we have a few key characters who are very apt for their role

Karthi as Dilli an ex-Convict, who is just released from prison is apt casting for this role. He has that rugged look & pulls off this character with such ease.
George Maryan as Constable Napoleon has shown his skill at a different level than his previous small roles. Here he gets to play the central character in one of the narrations. He has given his best in the role of the constable who just got transferred & trying to defend the IG office building without having any knowledge about the threat.
Narain as STF Inspector Bejoy, with one injured hand, definitely has done a wonderful job. Once the movie is over some may even get a feel that Narin is the actual hero of the movie & Karthi is in a supporting role who helps. Narain has given a mature performance in the scenes involving a phone conversation with George Maryan.
Arjun Das as Anbu: an action movie becomes good (or) bad based on how best the baddie does his Job. Arjun has done a great job of bringing out the best.
The negative of the film is in the second half, at parts it felt like a drag. Maybe they were included as sentiment elements (just for business' sake)

the scenes where Dilli narrates his part to Kamatchi and the following scene with some sentiments.
In the bridge fight, where Dilli falls unconscious & later wakes up as soon as the gold earrings are smashed
The movie is already cut sharp, a few more minute cuts would have made it crisper. However, when you get out of the theatre your Blood Pressure would be on the rise.

Based on what I said above, few may think I’m over exaggerating (or) some might even question me “Be honest have you not seen this kind of movie, with a similar storyline”. Yes, I have seen such DieHard style movies even Assault on Precinct 13 both versions, but Kaithi is different in all the aspects of regular Tamil films & from the above-mentioned movies.

If you love a decent action thriller that is true to the genre, then definitely you will like this.

KAITHI (2019) TAMIL REVIEW
.
.
:scroll: Plot: Story of a number of events that take place in a single night. A Father desperate to meet his daughter for the first time, A cop responsible to save his friends from dying and a crime lord i search of his lost cargo of drugs. How everything is connected is all the story about.
.
.
:man:‍⚖ Review : A tamil movie without songs, lead actress and melodrama. This tightly scripted movie is completely raw and inflamed. The movie wastes no time and books you from the first ten minutes. The screenplay, Cinematography are praiseworthy. Kudos to director Lokesh Kanagaraj who just delivered us one of the best tamil action thrillers of this decade.

The lead Dilli played by Karthi is far beyond superlative. He is excellent , unflinching and his raw performance makes him a real man hero. He has expressed his emotions so aptly that you will soon fall in love with him. Cop Bejoy played by Naraine is damn brilliant too. The role of george maryan as the newly transferred constable is critical and he just eases the performance with his acting.

All in all Kaithi is Gripping, Rivetting and Engaging with a brilliant director and lead. The most important part of the movie is that the actions are driven by emotions which engages the audience more. My Favourite Tamil movie of 2020.
.
.
:thumbsup:Goods :
Karthi is Raw and Outstanding
Pin Point Direction
Screenplay and Slow motion Cinematography
BGM
.
.
:thumbsdown: Bads :
Hardly i could find any.
.
.
:fire: Final Rating : 9/10
.
.
:white_check_mark: Verdict : Kaithi is a must watch. Period.
.
.
- Follow in Instagram for More : @RiteshReviews