Director: K. V. Anand
Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Madonna Sebastian, T. Rajhendherr
Set against the backdrop of a media house, Kavan's about how a simple man takes on the might of a powerful media baron. Along the lines of Ko, one of K. V. Anand's previous films, Kavan, however, lacks the focus and the tautness of the former. Here, it simply comes across as a hodgepodge of situations strung together loosely. Also, the main issue--about a factory's toxic waste polluting the environment--gets almost sidelined.
However, the opening potions are quite engaging. The dialogues sparkle with humour, and there are quite a few digs taken at the media and reality shows, which has been shown all too often in other films. Powerstar Sreenivasan and T. Rajhendherr serve to pep up the proceedings. The latter, especially, chams with his alliterative lines. It's a mark of his screen presence that he still holds his own even in the otherwise cumbersome second half.
During the earlier portions, Vijay Sethupathi is shown in a slightly different sophisticated look. Madonna, who plays his colleague and love interest, plays her role sincerely. The protagonist, Thilak, tries to expose a politician after the latter rapes an activist. However, his efforts are thwarted as he learns that his employer is in nexus with the corrupt politician. How he takes on the channel forms the rest of the story.
Some episodes are particularly entertaining, like a live interview on the channel going unplanned. But such moments don't come too often. Also, there are too many characters for K. V. Anand to do justice to.
In the second half, the narration becomes jerkier, and with songs getting thrust in, the director seems to lose his grip on the story. Also, Vikranth's character as an activist isn't entirely fleshed out. Ultimately, Kavan, at a draining length of 160 minutes, makes for a tedious watch.