Melodrama pulls down this fun rural drama

What will happen if a fighting machine like Rajkiran from the 90s cinema is blended with a light-hearted hothead like Arya’s very own Kutty from Arinthum Ariyamalum? Voila! We have Kathar Basha Endra Muthuramalingam. Though this description is a close match to any protagonist from Muthaiya’s world, Arya’s rendition of the role effectively elevates the film from the rest.  “Aal aadikradhu ellam enaku echi thupradhu madhri, thupitu poite irupen,” Kathar casually mentions in a scene. Such a functional punchline would have irked an evolved audience, but here it doesn’t feel quite odd as it is one of the very few lines Arya gets in the first half and he delivers this only after convincingly chokeslamming a truckload of men.

Muthaiya capitalises on Arya’s fiery looks, physique and charisma in these action blocks, keeping the focus away from the weak zones of the actor like dialogue delivery and emotion-heavy performance.
The first half of KBEM is quite delightful as Muthaiya fills it with tastefully choreographed action sequences. Cinematographer Velraj, stunt master Anl Arasu and composer GV Prakash do an outstanding job in their respective areas.

I also found Muthaiya’s non-linear narrative to be extremely likeable as it presents the familiar family drama story with an admirable twist. The super tight screenplay hits the first roadblock in the form of laid-back sequences that establish the brotherhood of Hindus and Muslims in Kathar’s village. Though fans of social message films might find even these portions to be amusing, the film reaches rock bottom when it takes the soap opera route. Muthaiya throws in a hoard of cliches and tropes and bulldozes everything he has built so far. The sudden death of a main character and the final revenge angle neither offers the pathos nor catharsis the filmmaker aimed for.

Another major setback of KBEM is its female lead, Siddhi Idnani. When an entire film is built on a single character it is crucial that the right actor essays it. But Siddhi is clearly a misfit here as she struggles to shoulder the heaviness of her role. Instead of displaying the nuanced emotions of the layered character, she carries a forever-in-pain expression. The actor’s lip-sync only makes things worse and oh, the irony of her character being named ‘Tamil Selvi’! On the other hand, seasoned actors like Prabhu and Bhagyaraj show how effective performances can uplift even functional writing.

KBEM is not only the most technically strong film of  Muthaiya, but it is probably the least problematic. A female infant is killed in the film, a character is arm-twisted into religious conversion and a bunch of village elders force a girl into marriage. But Muthaiya makes it clear that the people who do all these are vilest. On the flip side, the film goes all out to normalise katta panchayathu (Kangaroo courts).

Prabhu’s Kathar Bhai at one point says, “Naatoda sattatha nambi prayojanam illa, nattaar sattatha dhaan nambanum,” testifying his faith in the unofficial arrangement. Even though he is proven wrong within minutes and most of the conflicts in the film arise from the decisions made in these courts, all the characters in Kathar Basha Endra Muthuramalingam stick to it no matter what. In retrospect all the tragedies in the film could have been effectively dodged if these characters had just followed their intellect, consciousness, and law, sidestepping the traditional practices.

Even though Arya delivers all the punches and punchlines in the film, the loudest cheer in the theatre was reserved for the scene where a 12-year-old girl slaps her toxic mother and goes ahead to deliver a powerful monologue on parenting. Time and again Muthaiya has proven his mastery in creating such powerful characters and moments in his films, and he is also honing his technical prowess with every project. How I wish he soon lets go of the dated values, much like his protagonists.

Director: Muthaiya
Cast: Arya, Siddhi Idnani, Prabhu, Naren, Singampuli