Kavan Review - Popcorn entertainer on a Topical theme

Bharath Vijayakumar

The combo of an important social issue and popcorn entertainment  has been the staple diet of mainstream Tamil cinema for quite sometime. The balancing act is crucial if you want the message delivered. Else it is no different from the impact created by a 'don't use plastic' awareness campaign written on a plastic bag. Kavan does a reasonably good balancing act. Not  anywhere close to perfect  but to an extent that you might think twice before buying into what the flash news of popular  media houses say the next time around.

Plot:

About how the media powerhouses manipulate or even script events to ensure that they laugh all their way to the bank.


Kavan is an important film at a time when news channels in Tamil Nadu have been buzzing continuously for quite sometime now. For a mainstream film it does not mince words and is a direct attack on the unethical mode of operation of such a powerful medium. It speaks about embedded journalism, a process where media carefully cultivates an image or perception about an individual. While it does these things well, what hampers it is some bloatedness and few crucial casting choices that are surprising. For the kind of cunningness on display on screen you wonder why the decision to cast a villain who looks clueless most of the time. The choice of TR too is a double edged sword. It definitely adds some novelty and fun to the proceedings but what is sacrificed in return is a sense of believability and seriousness. The idea to have a fun loving sort of honest man is good but it is not brought out convincingly on screen. And when it is a crucial role it does dilute the end product.

 

Vijay Sethupathy has always been an unconventional star. With a noticeable paunch he throws away all the conventions we normally associate with a film of this scale. The confidence with which he is able to be just himself on screen is quite something. When everyone wants to be a star, it is refreshing to see someone become one while actually ( at least apparently)not wanting to.

 

Kavan moves at a brisk pace right from the start. Something always happens and at times you get the feel of watching a sophisticated Hari movie. But the film is longer than it had to be. The second half in particular keeps moving in circles at times. The dialogues are striking but some of them do not seamlessly blend into the narrative. Few ideas are age old ( the fact that KV Anand trolls this himself does help us in not getting too perturbed). David vs Goliath is always interesting when you ensure that David raises his game. Kavan does this in the initial half.  But when you make Goliath weaker in the later portions to ensure that justice prevails, the contest sort of loses the grip. But thankfully the damages are minimal and Kavan has enough to keep us interested.

Bottomline:

This catapult ensures that the distance is covered and is on target as well. A little less self indulgence and better songs and it might have well hit the bulls eye. Nevertheless this is a very important film just for the issue it has taken up.

Rating: 3.25/5

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