The story:
Kalliappa Bhagavathar and Gomathi
Nayagam Pillai, along with others, are all students and actors in the
prestigious drama school of Sivadas Swamigal. Gomathi, played by
Prithviraj, is a man of the rules and rigmarole, while Kali, played by
Siddharth, is an innovative man with new ideas that he implements in his
acting. This adds an edge to Kali over Gomathi for being the Rajapaatu
or lead actor. Thambi Ramaiah is the troupe's teacher and effectively
the company's manager too. Vadivambal (Vedhicka) happens to join the
troupe and goes on to become the Sripaatu or heroine.
When Sivadas Swamigal (Nasser) finds
out about Kali's love affair with the princess Rangamma (Annaika Soti),
the actor is cursed away from the love of his life and shunned from
stage too. Eventually, the princess dies, and so does Swami. Fight for
independence tightens in the country, and Kali's inclination towards
patriotism stands up. But for now, he has nothing in life to hold on to,
as he is abandoned by Gomathi after taking over the drama company. Will
this lone man ever be able to fight for a cause and for a living?
The magic:
The story is of an age more than 80
years ago, yet staged on this day. To recreate the image of those days,
it takes immaculate art direction, as projected by Santhanam. The hue of
shimmering past, the glitters of drama, simplicity of reality those
days and the spirit of patriotism - everything stands out visually.
Another thing of the past is the concern for language and diction, which
have very well been honoured by Jeyamohan. Over the years, virtual lens
has sharpened at par with human eyes, and Nirav Shah has enhanced the
magic with his camera. In this musical drama, songs that take off from
the main stream of story are in no way a deterrent to the movie.
AR Rahman - one name speaks volumes
for the spirit of the movie. Not only has the beauty of songs translated
into visual treat, but his music stands out in moving the audience in
every scene, with the score. Praveen takes the credit for editing to
perfection, especially in the climax.
Team Vasanthabalan and Jeyamohan is a
duo with high creativity and symbiotic understanding for a healthy piece
of art. Vasanthabalan has come up with an original period-set story and
Jeyamohan has complimented the director's work with beautifully chosen
words for dialogues, which maintain its purity, yet is understandable.
Working together on the screenplay, the two have worked a timeless
classic.
The primary characters Siddharth,
Prithviraj and Vedhicka are show stealers. Siddharth plays the
hard-to-believe too-good-to-be-true Kali that recieves applause for his
stage performance, as well as his character. Prithviraj plays the
convincingly hurt but cold simpleton Gomathi driven by mistaken
perception of situations. Vedhicka is Vadivu, who later goes on to be
showered with praises and titles for her voice and performance. She
plays a dedicated yet composed actress. Nasser as Swami and Thambi
Ramaiah as the teacher, make for good supporting actors, that are game
changers in many parts. Brief presence of Annaika and Mansoor Ali Khan
are enjoyable.
The touches:
The film can practically not be
critiqued in lack of colours. A very different story, a team to perceive
it in the right light, actors who live the characters dictated to them,
with the best in class for art, music and picture, 'Kaaviya Thalaivan'
is a perfect package. Also, the perspective in which relationships are
handled, is not one of the regular methods. But if at all something
smells sour, it could only be the minor touches like the
characterisation of Kali or questions on practical turns in this thread
of fiction. The movie is overwhelming with the sheer number of actors in
it, but they all have a role to play, and are very much a necessity for
the story to have taken such a shape. The story is no big secret, and
is predictable at most places, as to what it might lead to, in the next
frame. Kali's critic on Vadivu is blunt at times but is still
understandable. The climax convinces but leaves multiple unanswered
questions. But all said, 'Kaaviya Thalaivan' really is a meticulously
laid out drama, polished in the story and perfected in each frame, for a
classic entertainer for all, and especially for those who have a taste
for retro.
Rating: 3.5/5
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