Director: Sri Senthil
Cast: Bharath, Ann Sheetal, Suresh Menon
‘Kaalidas’ opens with a shot of a woman falling to her death from a high-rise building. Was it suicide? Or was it a murder? The film literally jumps right into the thick of the plot from the word go!
In step the brash, young but earnest police officer Kaalidas aka Das (Bharath) to try and unravel the riddle. Das is a workaholic and it doesn’t bode well at home with his wife Vidyaa (Ann Sheetal), who yearns for more of his company. He hardly turns up at home and even in the time that he is there, he is hardly sober. It seems she would have to commit a crime herself and get arrested in order to have her wish granted.
As he battles the worsening situation at home, Das faces an increasingly alarming challenge at work too. More women are falling to their deaths and pressure mounts on the cops to find the elusive explanation. A senior, experienced officer George (played endearingly by Suresh Menon) is brought into the mix to mentor and guide Das and his team, but all clues only seem to lead to a wild goose chase in circles.
Most cop films tend to show the best side or the worst side of police officers. This film touches upon a grey area that is rarely examined. Is it okay for someone to be so immersed in their own work and world, that they do not even care to meet and get to know their own new tenant? We ultimately do learn a few things about Das and his past that help answer some of these questions and the writing overall is bright and striking. Most of the scenes are really refreshing and bring a new flavor to age old recipes. Take for instance this chase scene on the streets, a staple in any cop film. Here however, the way the crook is caught at the end of the chase is quite hilarious and one of the best sequences from the movie.
Technically too, the film is sound. The tone doesn’t waver at all from start to finish and makes for a focused viewing experience. You would have to credit Suresh Bala’s work behind the lens for this, along with the consistent screen-writing. I also loved some of Bhuvan Srinivasan’s imaginative cuts that really stood out.
The only thing that didn’t work for me in this film was the big reveal. No prizes for guessing that there’s a big twist right at the end. Now, I’m all for twists that I didn’t see coming at all, provided I’m able to buy into them logically. Here however, I found this aspect a bit difficult! This is not to discount the level of inventiveness in the thought process itself. It is just that it wasn’t very convincing and bordered a little on the preposterous. And though the film is an engaging watch, this is what perhaps stops this from being added to the gold collection of Tamil cinema’s iconic cop films.
Overall rating: 3/5
