Kudaikkul Mazhai isn’t science fiction but can be classified as one. The recent post of science fiction has nothing to do with this. After the movie, while I was biking down, this was the first thing I realized.
While the concept of Schizophrenic delusion is relatively an infant in Tamil films, we have had quite a few number of films that have dealt with Schizophrenics. Kamalhassan‘s Aalavandan edged on this issue. Parthiban‘s Kudaikkul Mazhai deals in-depth with a Schizophrenic. It doesn’t make a documentary out of a him rather it sits inside his head and give the audience a first-hand experience of Schizophrenic delusion. While there could be many comments/suggestions on how the movie could be taken better, Parthiban needs a huge pat for venturing and trying his hand on this zone, tactically.
With just two characters occupying the screen for most of the time, Parthiban’s lead role can be regarded as one of his best. That old man in Houseful movie is still his best, in my opinion. Karthik Raja, doesn’t come short in the background score, like the songs. The theme music and it’s picturisation being one of the best scenes of the movie. The song Adiye Kiliye written by Parthiban and sung by the Maestro himself is enticing.
The art direction plays a very important role. The house in which Parthiban moves around has been very very creatively made that you find the most unusual thing in the most unusual place. Each frame has so many different things that you may be blink to grasp the idea behind them. The paintings and the animals in the house are symbolical, very tough-to-grasp at the first sight. The creative juices has overflown and it literally reaches above-the-head (my head, not yours). The tilted empty ink bottle pasted to the wall, the clock on the roof, the huge Coffee-day tissue framed on the wall, the nice drawings on the cardboard talk about Parthiban and his team’s hard work.
The drawback may be the script. There are obvious shots like the bearded Parthiban doing something and a Maruthi Car zipping near the telephone booth that literally gives out the suspense of the movie. If meticulously seen one could understand the hallucination plot which makes the rest of the movie a long wait for the climax. It’s inevitable for someone to see shades of Guna and Kadhal Konden in the second half of the movie. Also the script could have been cut short at various places to avoid the feeling of a drag, especially the twin of Parthiban who comes from Sinapore, talks his life, throughout. However, I liked his reference to Pattinathaar songs before he gets a bullet onto his body .
The titles show Rudhran to be an assistant director of this movie. This famous psychiatrist, is known for his talk show that he made for Raj TV called Unnai Arindhaal. He also explains the protagonists case in the end of the movie. Rudhran’s help in unleashing the mind of a schizophrenic is clearly visible throughout.
With that well targetted trailer and the publicity, Kudaikkul Mazhai, half-crossed the well of success. With a slight overdose of creativity, it crosses the other half, but not as expected. Excitement is assured if you walk into the movie hall without expectations.
kirukkal.com 