| Director:
Tarun Gopi |
 |
|
Cast: Silambarasan, Vedika, Lal, Sangitha, Seema,
Santhanam,Tarunchatriya |
 Tarun
Gopi's second directorial venture after the successful 'Thimiru',
'Kaalai' shares some similarities with the director's debut
film. It's mainly in a similar narrative style. In the suspense
element he creates around his protagonist, and in the etching of
the female characters, who are depicted as gutsy and given more
prominence in the script, it is almost the same treatment.
It's a complicated scenario the director presents in the earlier
part. An air of suspense is created in a conscious attempt to
confuse the viewer. Various characters appear on screen in quick
succession, the audience are left wondering about their identity
and motive, their mutual relationships and what the fracas was
all about.
'I want Jeeva' thunders a woman
constantly on the phone, to what seem like a bunch of hoodlums
pushing through a crowd, in search of 'Jeeva'. And there being
three 'Jeevas' around, one a police officer Jeevandam (lal), the
other a rowdy's wayward son Jeeva (Tarunchatriys), and the third
our hero Jeeva (Simbu) who takes cudgels against those harassing
women. Its all a bit confusing for the audience to guess as to
who the target is. It continues till we get to unravel the
puzzle in the second half, when the film takes a flash-cut to
the past. To a remote village lorded over by a woman (Seema)
revered by her people, and the gory happenings there.
 It's
then that we get to learn about hero Jeeva's motive for his
vendetta against policeman Jeevanandam. We learn as to why Jeeva
kidnapped the cop's daughter Brinda (Vedika) feigning love to
her; as to why the rowdy advises his son to backtrack from
harassing Brinda; and as to why the woman (Sangitha) screams
instructions mixed with expletives, to the men on Jeeva's track.
While it's commendable that the
female characters like that of Seema and Sangitha have been
given more footage and prominence, unfortunately their
activities are limited to a lot of screaming, rather than any
real acts of bravado. It's an energetic performance from Simbu.
Though a bit of guidance would have helped him help smoothen the
rough edges. Vedika provides the romantic angle. Nila comes in a
dance number.
No doubt the director after the
initial confusing scenario, has cleverly knotted up all the
seemingly loose ends, and put back the pieces of the puzzle into
a coherent whole. But the complicated earlier part, and the
attempt to decipher it do exhaust the viewer. He could have
adopted a more simplistic narrative style to this vendetta
story.
Malini Mannath
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