Premise:  Rajkiran heartfully owns an Idli shop in his native, his son Dhanush moves to Bangkok after finishing his catering studies. He gets into a good position, yet feels guilty of not taking care of his parents. He goes back to his village to continue his father’s legacy, the conflicts he faces in doing so forms the remaining story.

Writing/ Direction: On the lines of Meiyazhagan, the story is sure to connect to the people and their families who have moved places for work, thinking it as an upward progress in life. The film has its heart at the right place, as it tries to convey a beautiful theme without preaching anything. The healthy conversations discussing hierarchy are neat and valuable to the subject as well. The initial portions are rushed, the Bangkok sequences are hurried and the repetitive situations establishing Arun Vijay as the bad guy is dull. The film becomes significantly better after Dhanush returns back to his native village, the purpose is solid and the intentions of him staying back is satisfying too. The core emotion does wonders, it is so relatable as everybody will have a childhood place we are attached to. The film plays to the gallery by forming several worthy plot-points around it. The conflict is fine, by placing the hero-villain face off at the midway, but the way Arun Vijay’s character was designed with inconsistent staging delivers a bothersome interval point. Certain clichés are retained in the second half as well, thankfully the screenplay is engaging, Dhanush at the hospital and drama taking place with the rest is the main highlight. Parthiban gets a clap-worthy scene as a nice follow-up. Dhanush is a writer who is aware of his flaws, therefore he places timing dialogues and artist reactions that match the audience’s mindset, which helps us in staying relevant with the happenings. There are some nagging situations involving the plastic villains that feel so random in the narrative, fortunately on the flip side we get some well-written stretches. The small moments are handled better than the big scenes... The weak pre-climax action for example, gets a couple of sensible closures, both internally and externally for the baddies.

Performances: Subtle performance by Dhanush, suiting his soft-natured characterization. Rajkiran’s screentime is less, yet he adds so much soul with his divine presence. Nithya Menen does well, however she could not create a Thiruchitrambalam magic here due to minimal scope. Arun Vijay as the main antagonist and his father Sathyaraj who has privilegedly brought him up, their track was odd from the beginning, becomes slightly better in the second half and ends with a simply superb scene, their character arcs are fruitful however the path is a bit uneven. Parthiban and Shalini Pandey each get one scene to score, showcasing their pure-at-heart quality. The starting point of Samuthirakani’s conflict is valid, but goes overboard in the final act. First class role for Ilavarasu, he is such a support to enhance many plot-points of the flow.

Technicalities:

    GV Prakash has given an album that clicks well with the movie, more than just listening to them in the audio form. Great work with the background score, he has elevated the emotions in the story with his mesmerizing music. The cinematographer has maintained a simplistic tone throughout, understanding the nativity of the subject. However the poor stunt choreography could have been sabotaged with better camera angles, the fights between Dhanush and Arun Vijay looked so fake. No complaints with respect to editing, the transitions were seamless barring the rushed narrative at the start and the runtime is an apt one too.

Verdict: An engaging film on the whole, however the screenplay has its own ups and downs. Thanks to the organically placed core sentiments and the beautiful moments built around it, that help in creating a heartwarming space and hide a few flaws.

IDLI KADAI - A Soulful Rural Drama Packed with Relatable Emotions!