Director: Mu. Maran
Cast: Udhayanidhi Stalin, Bhoomika, Prasanna, Srikanth, and Aathmika
Music: Siddhu Kumar
Synopsis:
Arun finds himself caught up in a crime that he has no connection to whatsoever. Following his roommate’s advice, he attempts to cover up the situation with cleverness. Will he be able to extricate himself from this predicament, or will he unwittingly reveal a much larger conspiracy than he ever anticipated
Kannai Nambathey 2023 Tamil Movie Review:
One of the most popular tropes on which crime thrillers are built is the concept of an ordinary man getting trapped in an extraordinary situation. Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Kannai Nambathey deals with a similar situation, where the protagonist is forced to hide a crime that he’s in no way related to.
The initial setup and unpredictable events keep us on edge for the most part, but the elaborate pre-climactic sequences with too many plot points reduce our interest a bit.
Arun (Udhayanidhi Stalin) is introduced to us as a working professional who is searching for a home for rent in Chennai. The situation forces him to stay with a stranger named Somu (Prasanna), who is about to vacate the home that Arun came in search of, for a few days.
As they decide to celebrate their first day with drinks, Arun stumbles upon a woman (Bhumika Chawla) on the road who appears a bit tense. She requests that Arun drop her off at her place, as she finds it difficult even to drive her car.
Arun does the same and heads back home. He narrates the entire incident to his friends, including Somu, who is inebriated. The very next day, Arun happens to discover that the woman whom he met last night is dead and that her body has been kept inside the same car.
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This situation makes Arun’s life complicated, as he’s still unsure of who would have actually killed her. He seeks the help of Somu in solving this issue, and the two decide to go in search of those who are behind it.
Director Mu Maran takes some time to establish the initial setup, but the film manages to keep us hooked post the very first conflict. The idea of the protagonist finding the dead body of a person whom he had interacted with last night inside the car boot does give us some chills and sets up that perfect mood for an engrossing mystery thriller.
The writer brings in many such inciting incidents in the first half but undoes the good work in the second. We understand that there are emotions behind every crime, and one can’t write a crime thriller without narrating the backstory of the mysterious characters involved.
However, keeping it a bit short doesn’t do any harm, and in fact, it’s one of the most effective methods of storytelling. Bhumika Chawla’s story, which appears in the second half, is quite intriguing and interesting.
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But the events that unfold in the pre-climactic portions are a bit chaotic and fail to deliver the thrills that we experience in the first half. Also, most of the writers who pen this genre are desperate to make startling revelations in the climax that are larger than life.
If Mu Maran had decided to keep the entire premise a bit simple without touching upon too many ideas, the thrill factor might have worked throughout. There are ample twists and turns, and most of them work.
The technical aspects of the film, including cinematography and the background score, help to elevate certain emotions. However, with better lighting techniques and staging, and tighter writing in the second half, the film might have created a greater impact on us.
Verdict:
Kannai Nambathey is one of those films which rely on churning out one plot twist after another at the expense of becoming silly and contrived. To call director Mu Maran’s screenplay a mess is an understatement.
He comes up with a character for every brick wall and they don’t serve any purpose other than that. Take for instance a character who keeps stalking the lead actors who are trying to cover up a murder. He follows them and keeps taking pictures all through the film, but he doesn’t get a proper closure.
