Prabhu Solomon's Kumki Review

by Raven

Kumki was one of the most expected films of the year due to various reasons. A lot was expected from Prabu Solomon, who had a very successful outing with his last film Mynaa. Being the grandson of legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan, the bar was raised for debutant Vikram Prabhu quite naturally. Also, after Mynaa, Imman's music is being keenly observed by the music buffs. Does the movie live up to its hype? 

Plot

The movie does not boast of a strikingly different storyline. The movie handles a usual love story set in a tribal village. The story revolves around a mahout Bomman (Vikram Prabhu) and his tamed elephant. Due to circumstances, they take up the responsibility of protecting a village from a wild elephant. Love blossoms between Bomman and a village girl Alli (Lakshmi Menon). Will Bomman be able to save the village from the wild elephant and will his love succeed? 

Performances

Vikram Prabhu does not look like a debutante in any of the scenes. Then amount of hard work he has put in to get trained with the elephant is evident on the screen. He has given a measured performance and his well-built physique is quite apt for the role.

After a promising debut in Sundarapandian, Lakshmi Menon comes up with another fine performance as a village girl. Her expressions are spot on and flawless. Thambi Ramaiah does a decent job but his ‘mind-voice’ dialogues are tiresome after a while. Asvin of ‘Boss Engira Bhaskaran’ fame impresses in a couple of scenes.

Technicalities

Needless to say, Imman’s songs have already become tremendous hits and his background score is equally good. But, the problem is most of the songs are shot in similar manner and things get repetitive. Sukumar’s cinematography can easily be rated as one of the recent best works in Tamil. The majestic elephant, a tiny butterfly, huge waterfall, dense forest, he has shot them all and every frame look authentic. However, the CG work is not convincing in some of the scenes.

Script and Direction – Prabhu Solomon

Hits

• Prabhu Solomon should have toiled really hard to execute the script with the essence of nativity. Kudos to him for that.

• Prabhu Solomon has got the best output from his actors and the casting is pretty good.

• The scenes involving Alli and her father are well executed. The trust factor is conveyed in a subtle manner.

Misses

• The screenplay does not have many twists and the too many songs affect the flow of the movie. The love sequences are superficial and lack conviction.

• Some of the scenes are over-exaggerated and one might feel that the story meanders at times, especially in the second half. The climax looks contrived.  

Bottomline

Kumki is worth watching for the diligent hard work put in by the actors and for technical brilliance. If you expect another Mynaa from the director, you may be disappointed.

Rating – 2.75 / 5