Wins you over with humour and relatable characters
In Kudumbasthan, right before the climax, Naveen (Manikandan) runs full tilt, desperately seeking cover behind a wall to evade pursuing thugs. Even in that heart-pounding moment, he steps out of hiding and promptly gets caught by the goons. Why? To retrieve an onion that has rolled away from his grocery bag. This scene perfectly sums up the intent of the film: to present the relentless struggles of a middle-class breadwinner in a humorous way. Throughout Kudumbasthan, Rajeshwar Kalisamy keeps us laughing with sketch comedy-like humour.
Though often over-the-top and implausible, it is undeniably hilarious, thanks to the exceptional performances of the ensemble cast. Yet, as the second half begins to circle the drain, the film ultimately feels like it is one missing piece away from being a satisfactory whole.
Kudumbasthan’s storyline is straightforward. Naveen is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy as his financial obligations pile up, with an upcoming child, a house in desperate need of repairs, and his mother’s cherished dream weighing heavily on him. Losing his job becomes the final straw, as this ‘zero balance hero’ finds himself navigating one financial hurdle after another in this comedy of errors.
Kudumbasthan starts with a quirky sequence, with a group of men, killing time and their liver with alcohol. Naveen elopes with Vennila (Saanve Megghana) and knocks on the door of these drunk men for help. From there, the entire first half becomes a laugh-a-minute affair. The film doesn’t delve into the origins of Nila and Naveen’s love story, but their bond is clear, especially when Nila sheepishly asks, “Madam, inga katti pudikalama?” to someone in the registrar’s office, and hugging Naveen anyway.
Rajeshwar spends the entire first half setting the conflict in motion, and rightly so. He also leverages camera work and background score to flesh out the humour. For instance, early on, when the Naveen and Nila are confronted by their respective parents after eloping, Naveen says, “Ivanga munadi namma vaazhndhu kaatanum,” and hugs Nila, as the traditional post-wedding tune plays comically in the background, the camera panning left and right between the two sets of parents, evoking a chuckle.
Similarly, in another scene, as loan sharks nearly strangle Naveen to demand his debt be cleared, ‘The Life of Ram’ song from ‘96 plays in the background, drowning out their dialogue and once again making us laugh. Rajeshwar and his team have meticulously ensured that the comedy is both detailed and situational, in addition to offering sharp verbal humour. In many ways, Kudumbasthan can be seen as a feature-length version of the comedy skits from the director’s YouTube channel Nakkalites, which is both the film’s strength and weakness.
The characters are over-the-top to the extent that Naveen’s mother opts to wear Nayanthara’s wedding ensemble for her 60th wedding ceremony, while his father (R Sundarrajan) joyfully participates in a pre-wedding photo shoot with her.
At times, the eccentric nature of the characters overpowers the situational humour organically present in the story. For instance, in the climax, as the entire family gathers to handle an emergency, their personalities create a comedy of errors—an outcome highly unlikely in real life. However, if we, as audiences, can accept heroes kicking thugs in the air and taking them on single-handedly, a simple suspension of disbelief can go a long way in truly enjoying the humour Kudumbasthan has to offer.
While the comedy works as isolated scenes, the narrative takes a detour, continuously piling one financial problem after another onto the protagonist. At one point, we wonder how everything can go so terribly wrong for him, all within a span of just nine months. Without a single moment of reprieve, the film bombards Naveen with a series of issues that pull the narrative further off course. By the time the film reaches a meaningful conclusion, we can’t help but hope for a serendipitous miracle to rescue Naveen.
Ultimately, the relentless barrage of problems to the protagonist dents the film’s comedic charm. If the film’s comedy accounts for half of its appeal, the performances take care of the other half. With his nuanced expressions, specific tonal stress while delivering dialogues, and brilliant dynamic with Guru Somasundaran, Manikandan truly steals the show. Guru is equally impressive, embodying the annoying relative who could exist in any family. Saanve Meghana, making her Tamil debut with Kudumbasthan, is gracefully expressive as Vennila, though her character is somewhat underutilised, leaving us wanting more of the Naveen-Vennila relationship. After Good Night and Lover, Manikandan cements his status as the quintessential boy next door with Kudumbasthan.
The film, for the most part, steers clear of sentimentality, though the climax flirts with it. Just as we brace ourselves for Manikandan to launch into a Ravi Mohan-esque soliloquy from Santhosh Subramaniam, Vennila astutely interrupts his dramatic monologue, calling out his theatrics. The emotional tide then shifts towards a humorous misadventure.
While the comedic climax might appear contrived, it’s a wise choice to conclude the film on a lighter note rather than succumb to sentimentality. In a cinematic landscape saturated with violent and traumatic narratives, Tamil cinema desperately needed the respite that Kudumbasthan offers. In the end, the film reminds us that amidst the chaos of ‘kudumbam’, it is humour and lightheartedness that makes the life of a ‘kudumbasthan’ easy.