Kaaka Muttai is priceless

Bharath Vijayakumar

After going around the globe garnering appreciations, ‘Kaaka Muttai’ finally enters home ground. Will it break the notion of critically acclaimed films finding it difficult to gain mainstream attention?

Plot:

Two kids from a slum yearn to have a slice of Pizza from a recently opened eat-out in their neighbourhood.

Cast:

The two kids have literally hit the ball out of the park. This is one of the most endearing as well as restrained performances you would see from kids in a feature film. They remain cute bringing a smile on your face but never once go overboard. Iyshwarya is brilliant as the mother. This would remain as one of the best portrayals from a leading lady in Tamil cinema. There is a gamut of emotions on display from her and yet absolutely no melodrama. The person who plays her mother in law and Joe Malloori as the child like ‘Pazharasam’ fit in perfectly as in a jigsaw. Ramesh Thilak and Yogi Babu bring the house down in the brief sequence where they negotiate with the Pizza shop owner.

Direction:

Manikandan has made a socially relevant film that silently pricks you while you enjoy it. This is no mean feat. The film is a mirror that reflects what is happening around with zero percentage of preaching. You could go on and on about scenes that silently satire may a happening. Take the instance where Ishwarya’s home gets two Televisions from the ration shop but no rice due to shortage!!! The loss of innocence as we grow older is palpable from the characterization of the 2 kids. While the younger one always spurts out the truth his brother does not hold back from lying. After Pazharasam gets into trouble for helping the two it is only the younger one who feels guilty. The felling of a tree is shown. There is no in your face dialogue that tells about the ill effects of deforestation. But this huge tree that falls on the ground with a shudder implies many things. A press reporter speaks in front of a camera about how the downtrodden are taken for a ride citing an incident involving the two kids and at the same time the media crew unknowingly  makes sure the same kids do not enter the into the frame being shot. How the media, politicians and corporate bigwigs try to make use of every incident for their own gains is narrated as nonchalantly as it is possible. But make no mistake. This is not a film where the rich are evil and the poor are good. It just shows how the society behaves today. The two petty thieves from the slum too make sure to utilize any unfortunate incident involving their fellow beings for their own monetary gains.

GVP surely needs a mention for an uplifting and neat sound track.

Bottomline:

Kaaka Muttai is a gem that ought not to be missed. It is an enriching experience that will leave you with pertinent questions about our society.

Rating: 4.25/5

Rate and Review Kaaka Muttai