Synopsis: Tension arises in the family as Meena falls for a guy from a lower caste. Thinking that she has been possessed by an evil spirit, the retrogressive family takes her on a road trip to exorcize her. Will Meena find a way out of this drama ?
Review:
There’s a saying, “In cinema to capture what’s real is the most difficult.’’ So, Kottukkali is one of those ‘difficult’ films and it shatters the cliche masala box.
We Indians are culturally trained to watch films that are of masala subject – mandatory songs, a ‘hero-villain’ factor; action sequences that are unrealistic and a Hollywood obsession. We can also add the new age trend ‘fast-paced’ screenplays to the above list.
This popular misconception of perceiving cinema is seriously questioned by PS. Vinoth’s Kottukkali. Without any of those mentioned elements, Kottukkali keeps us engaged throughout its run time. What makes this film even more beautiful is that it brings out all our emotions and makes us do the difficult job – to introspect. The film daringly hits brahmanical patriarchy and the superstitious beliefs that have been prevailing in our society for centuries.
It does that job in various ways and the two characters, Meena and Pandi – the former, Anna Ben and the latter, Soori – dictate the tempo. It gives chills to see how Pandi takes charge as head of the clan (family) and represents the popular idea of ‘masculinity’ – he must be the synonym. Though we understand Meena’s helplessness, her being stubborn in almost every scene leaves us mesmerized. All hail Anna’s screen presence!
The film constantly tries to depict the cultural nuances between men and women, and displays the extent to which a family typically goes to protect their sanctity. We get an irrefutable urge to say, “can’t you just let her go!”, to Pandi and his clan – but all you can do is, just sit back and feel pity for Meena, who’s held hostage. A person who has the same thoughts as Pandi or any other character, will end up resonating with Meena when they watch it. That’s the brilliance PS. Vinoth has in his writing. Credit goes to the other artists as well for bringing our ‘very own’ family to life on screen. So it’s true… a great director would bring the best out of an artist.
PS. Vinoth’s efforts to shake up the cultural norms keep expanding and convincingly triumph in one particular scene. As we travel along the montages of interior parts of Madurai, there comes a buffalo blocking the road. It may be a hindrance to the characters in the film, but to us as an audience, it’s a breather as we don’t have enough rest from the rising heartbeat. Right from the beginning, we will not just notice the arrogance of Pandi but also how other male characters share more or less the similar trait. They may not openly flaunt it like him, but they do it in their own way. So when the job of ‘shooing’ away the buffalo comes to these men, they struggle. It’s a complete fun to see how this masculine defining arrogance can’t take a chance against the buffalo’s glory. It becomes even funnier when we learn that this buffalo is actually a pet of a girl child – who later takes him along with her.
Kottukkali is very rare and the most interesting part is that we experience all of PS.Vinoth’s ideas within the road trip genre. As said earlier, the journey will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, from laughter and joy to tears, fear and deep reflection. Let us cherish this tour de force of cinema.
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