Kadal hurt by lack of controversies

Sadly, Kadal will go down in the record book as the movie with the shortest box office run among Mani Ratnam's movie. Except for Mani Ratnam's biographer Barathwaj Rangan, every other critic panned the movie. This Mani Ratnam fanboy who had criticized everything from "Endhiran" to "Vazhakku Enn 18/9" to "Vishwaroopam" found something endearing about Kadal (for obvious reasons). Arvind Swamy's comment that one needs more understanding of Mani and his craft to appreciate Kadal also didn't go too well among the twitteratis. Critics such as RJ Balaji and Bosskey had a field day taking a dig at Kadal. At least the critics had an opinion. but most of the fans were indifferent which hurt the movie's prospect right from the beginning.

Why didn't Mani Ratnam lend his support for Kamal?

Many fans were upset that Mani Rathnam released Kadal when Vishwaroopam was at the peak of its struggle. The fans felt let-down and thought that Mani should have stood behind Kamal by postponing Kadal's release. Many others were in no mood to watch Kadal until Viswhwaroopam's controversy came to a closure. This resulted in poor opening for Kadal (and also David).

Offensive Scenes about Christianity?

There are a number of scenes that were believed to be deeply offensive to Christians in Kadal. Many moderate Christians believed that the scenes were a lot more direct and hurting compared to the ones pointed out in Vishwaroopam. No surprise, Christian outfits demanded 6 cuts without going overboard. The controversy died down quickly failing to give Kadal the much needed coverage.

Robbing innocence?

Surprisingly enough, no outfit took up the case of 15 year-old Tulasi lip-locking with Gautham for a scene that didn't make it through the censors in the theatrical version. Even in Hollywood cinemas, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe didn't kiss on-screen for Harry Potter until they turned 18. In 1976 classic Taxi Driver, 13-year old academy winner Jodie Foster had a body-double while shooting intimate scenes. In the recently released Moon Rise Kingdom, a number of scenes came under scrutiny in the Hollywood known for restrictive rules working with minor actors. It is a surprise how Mani Ratnam thought it was okay to rob the whatever little innocence left in a 15 year old enacting the intimate kiss scene.

Controversy Sells!

Many sections of viewers silently ignored the movie unlike the naive Vishwaroopam detractors who helped multiply the viewership and box office returns by fanning the controversy. There are some clear lessons to be learned here for Kadal makers and Vishwaroopam protesters.