Film: Kabadam
Director: Jothimurugan
Cast: Sachin, Angana Roy, Adithya, Ranika, Kadhal Saravanan
With a paucity of story ideas around, makers often take 'inspiration' from foreign films. One has seen foreign films copied in various Indian languages and by big names too. But a film copied in one language multiple times is a rarity. Across The Hall, the dark thriller, seems to be the hot favourite, rehashed as it was twice earlier in Tamil and yet again now. The three films have been released within a gap of just a few months. The first 'remake' to release was Unnodu Oru Naal and then came Naer Ethir. This week's release Kabadam is yet again a copy of the same English film. All three films have been almost faithful to the original. What makes it worse is that the plot is a crime thriller with a couple of twists, which loses its suspense-curiosity value once the mystery is exposed.
Set in one night in a dingy hotel, the plot revolves around just a handful of characters. Vichu (Sachin) follows his fiancee Padmini (Angana) to a run down hotel suspecting her of having an affair. He books a room across hers, to observe the goings on. Drunk and distraught he rings up his friend Shiva (Adithya), latter advising him to maintain his calm and promising to come to his aid. It's a cat and mouse game that follows. The back-story is narrated through the perspective of the lead characters. Both Vichu and Padmini get to tell their tale from their respective viewpoints. The director seems to be in a confused muddle, not quite sure whose point of view to justify. There are too many long drawn out dialogues, particularly towards the end. Not surprisingly the cast end up with some very uninspiring performances. Kabadam is the worst of the three 'remakes'.
Incidentally, the film industry is rightfully concerned when pirated video copies of their films come out almost simultaneously with their theater releases. One can understand their concern and sympathise with them. But isn't it equally unethical, when some makers brazenly copy another film maker's plot and creativity, without giving due credit to the original?