‘Baana Kaathadi’ (Tamil, Romance, 2010)
Director: Badri Venkatesh
Cast: Atharva, Samantha, Prasanna, Karunaas, Monica, Manobala and others
Rating: 2/5
In the past, Sathya Jyothi Films had come up with some very interesting films. Maybe the production house’s track record raises expectations from ‘Baana Kaathadi’ too. The promotions were good enough to create a buzz prior to the release of the movie. Unfortunately, the film fails to live up to our expectations due to its tedious script and a screenplay that is trite and banal.
Centered on the locales of the Housing Board apartments in Northern Chennai, the film revolves around Ramesh (Atharva), an avid kite flyer. His insatiable enthusiasm for flying kites splendidly leaves him over the top of this game. He comes across Priya (Samantha), who changes his course of life with her abounding affection. Some misunderstandings leads them apart before they realize their love for each other.
But then, fate has other plans for them.
Newcomer Atharva seems to have undergone a perfect training as he exhibits the traits of a good actor. This doesn’t look like his debut film as he emotes absolutely to the situations with casualness. Samantha looks bright, cherubic and energetic. Prasanna as a roughneck gangster surprises with his performance. Kudos to him for choosing such an exceptional role! After a very long time, Karunaas evokes laughter and his encounters with TP Gajendran are rib-tickling. Monica as Atharva’s mother does a great job too.
Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music destroys our hopes as the songs are below average. None of them sounds good and even the background score is mediocre. Richard Maria Nathan’s cinematography, however, is simply superb. He deserves special appreciation for his innovative camera angles, especially in the stunt sequences.
Badri Venkatesh hasn’t showcased anything pertaining to the Kite Festival. Except the factor that the film’s protagonist is a kite flyer, there’s nothing special about it. With a running length of 150mins, audience loses its patience and turns restless post-intermission.
The unexpected shock during the climax is completely unwanted. Perhaps, a better ending would have at least made this film a passable show.