'Kazhugu' (Tamil)
Director: Satyasiva
Cast: Krishna, Bindu Madhavi, Karunas, Thambi Ramaiya, Jayaprakash, Sampatram, Sujibala
Set in the backdrop of a hill station, the film centres on the happenings in the life of Sera and his friends who eke out their living retrieving corpses- ‘pieces’ in their lingo- from the ravines. The ambience of the workplace of the protagonist ensures a novelty to the backdrop. And while the debutant director could be appreciated for it, he definitely could have worked on his script more, to make it as engaging and as refreshing as some of the earlier scenes.
The analogy to the ‘Kazhugu’ (vulture) is apt.
The film opens with a tormented Sera howling in anger, the narration cutting to the happenings that had made him react so.
Sera was a carefree orphan, who with his companions (Karunas, Ramaiya) splurged on whatever he earned on booze. The trio downing a couple of pegs to get over the stench, an old radio hung on the tree blaring out a Tamil film song - all create a natural feel. It’s an opening that promises some exciting moments to come. Unfortunately, apart from these scenes, there is very little novel about the film.
Take Sera’s love angle with the comely tea-factory worker Kavita (Bindu). The evolving of their love track lacks depth and conviction. As Sera, Krishna seems to have some difficulty in connecting to the character. Going overboard, his long, loud howl becomes repetitive and jarring after a time.
The villain in Sera’s life comes in the form of Iyer (Jayaprakash). Sera and gang inadvertently get entangled in the man’s affairs, the latter setting his goons on them. The whole episode of Iyer and his problem with a rival (Sampatram), has been rushed through. It’s a gory action-centric climax where Sera takes on Iyer’s goons. The film could have done with a better ending.
The lighter moments come from Karunas, with Ramaiya pitching in his bit. But these moments are few and far between. On the positive side, the film is just about two hours of viewing time.