Aadukalam Review

Pride and honour sometimes hold much more importance to those that live for a sport. Money and fame is something that they find is secondary/additional. For Vetrimaran, Polladhavan may have been a struggle to begin and make but he proved that he knew his craft. So he used Bicycle Theives as a basis for the story, at the end of it, the story worked because his adaptation was valid, screenplay clicked with the audience and he had great performance to back it. He now uses a competition where honour is the prize on the backdrop of rural rooster fights that have been deemed illegal. On a new "playground" [the translation for Aadukalam], he is joined by Dhanush in a totally different role and Tapsee who debuts in Tamil, with trusty aide Kishore, newbie actor writer/poet Jayabalan, GV Prakash doing the music and Velraj with the cinematography. Read on to find out if it worked.

Karuppu [Dhanush] isn't your average youngster in a poor family consisting of just him and his mother. He is a crucial member of a gang of village rooster fighters, led by his boss and the reigning champion trainer Pettaikaran [Jayabalan]. For Karuppu though, Pettaikaaran is not only a leader, but a father figure as well. Adversaries in the form of the local policeman Rathnaswamy [Naren] are present and he has been brewing a long standing grudge against Pettai but the method of battle isn't not with knives and guns, rather on the playing field with roosters. In a final attempt to regain his honor for his family, Rathnaswamy forces Pettai to a tornament where if Pettaikaaran loses even once, he would bid goodbye to the game and never compete again. With honor and intense love for the game at stake, preparations begin. All things are running smoothly until days before the tournament, Karuppu brings his rooster as a competitor. Pettaikaaran initially accepts but then rejects it at the trial game on lack of performance and orders him to kill the rooster. Dejected and disappointed, Karuppu doesn't find the heart to follow through and hides this from Pettai. But if there is one thing that you can count on, its the change of fate. On the day of the tournament, after an angered Pettai had announced that he claims no ownership of Karuppu's victory or loss, the student takes over the limelight from the master as Karuppu's rooster wins above all. Stumped his judgement failed him, the once wise Pettai begins to turn on his student and an oblivious Karuppu falls prey to his jealousy. But its not just his rooster that Pettai is out to get. In an ultimate act of vengence, Pettai stops at nothing to degrade, humiliate and deprive Karuppu of his happiness including taking away the love of his life, Irene [Tapsee].What this entails can only be seen to understand the impact.

First of all, this story is heavily dependant on the nuances of a culture and traditions that many are not aware so from the get go Vetrimaran has a lot to explain and his source isn’t just the narrative but his cast.  So it is imperative that the core actors do not have an identity that overshadows the character they are playing or else the story looses its authenticity. With that said, Dhanush has proven his ability to mould himself and yet again the actor surprises in a flawless portrayal. He may have a string of an uneducated callous ruffian characters in his filmography but Karuppu is by far the most intricately tailored role that you wouldn’t have seen Dhanush play before. It wouldn’t be farfetched to say the honesty he depicts his emotions, from love to betrayal, is something he himself may find hard to repeat. Tapsee as Irene may not have a big part in the synopsis but she is picture perfect for the role and does justice with no OTT business. Kudos to the actress for selecting such a male dominated film as a debut and yet, successfully shining through. Jayabalan may have been dubbed by Radharavi but at no point does he stray from his character nor does he seem awkward for someone who has been writing for almost a lifetime. He literally lives the life of Pettaikaran and displays immense control and versatility. Kishore is always dependable for a power packed performance and the only thing that doesn’t sit right is his wig but even that can be easily forgotten[after seeing him with his own hair [or lack of], it didn’t seem necessary]. Both Meenal and the lady that plays Dhanush’s mum put in their two cents worth but are clearly figures in the background.
 

With an interesting and innovative backdrop in hand, Vetrimaran's shoulders had quite a heavy burden to support as he needed to not only make this an entertaining film but one that can be understood for the citybred audience. On top of that the director who had already proven he has spark with Polladhavan, needed to prove he was not a one hit wonder and was capable to follow through with his craft. On all counts the director scores in a big way. By keeping the script simple enough to be understood and using his band of actors, cinematographer Velraj and editor Kishore to maintain an authentic look and feel to the film, he not only keeps the audience engaged but stays honest to the story. G.V.Prakash said in an interview that Yaathe Yaathe would be a smash hit when speaking about upcoming projects at the time. I feel that song alone is worth Prakash’s weight in gold. His usage of multiple singers [e.g SPB and SPB Charan in Aiyayo] isn't new but definitely is pleasing technique to the ears. Pick of the lot has to be his prediction Yaathe, Aiyaiyo and Otha Sollale but the album entirely works well on the radio and with the proceedings. Once again, Prakash showcases his skill with the background score literally lifting an already flying film.

So many pluses don’t mean there aren’t any minuses. What may annoy some, maybe completely irrelevant to others. For this film I have heard that the story is too simple, the fights are too long and the film is quite slow. I did feel the lag on occasion and thought editor Kishore needs to pick up on the scissors again but at the same time felt a depth in the narrative was adequate. So unlike usual, I’ll leave the minuses in your hand, dear reader as I felt this film stepped away from the norm in its boundaries and was made with sincerity. 

Rating: 4/5 – In a season where if rural films are ruling the box office, Aadukalam is different and stands out.