Kamali From Naducavuery - A Hurrah to woman power
The good news is that Tamil cinema is slowly ushering in a lot more female-driven films and some have even gone on to taste commercial success apart from critical acclaim. The latest one 'Kamali From Naducauvery' is one such attempt. Will this honest attempt strike a chord with its target audience remains to be seen.
Kamali (Anandhi) is a plus one student in an obscure village near Thanjavur who is a bit of a prankster. An eccentric old man Arivudai Nambi (Pratap Pothen) living in a posh house in the village is often Kamali's target and he tries to catch her red handed but in vain . Meanwhile Kamali watches on television a plus two topper and falls for him instantly. When he says in the interview that he is going to study at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology the infatuated girl aspires to get into IIT to chase the man of her dreams. Does the young girl who is an average student overcome all the hurdles and manage to enter India's most coveted institute and get her man or not is what the rest of the screenplay is about.
As far as the acting is concerned its Anandhi's show all the way and though initially its a little difficult to accept her in the role of a high school girl. The 'Kayal' girl brings all her experience to the fore nailing the array of expressions needed throughout the film. Her best scenes are when she realizes who she really is at the professor's house and then the subsequent transformation in the campus. Rohit Saraf as the object of Anadhi's affection looks charming and has done what is required without much of a glitch. Veteran Pratap Pothen in the meaty role of the girl's mentor has put in a sincere effort and Azhagam Perumal as the doting father and Imman Annachi as the funny teacher have also done a neat job. The girl who plays Anandhi's friend is very natural and lively.
What works best in 'Kamali from Naducauvery' is the theme of the village girl aspiring big for the sake of love and then setting her priorities straight as she discovers who she really is. The way the relationship between Anandhi and Prathap's characters develops and how it changes the course of her life is pretty effective. The Cindrella motif in the screenplay pays off quite convincingly in the end. The quiz program that forms the climax is interesting.
On the downside the major problem 'Kamali From Naducauvery' has is that most of the scenes seem stagey and it prevents the audience from fully immersing in the screenplay. There could have been a stronger characterization for Prathap as he seems to conveniently exist to coach Kamali. The scenes do not unfold organically and the dialogues are spoken on cue which are deterants as well.
The music by Dheena Dayalan, cinematography by Jagadeshan and the editing are pretty decent. Abbundu Studios deserve a pat on its back for encouraging a decent film that has heart. Debutante director Rajasekhar Duraisamy has penned a good story and has also infused a lot of good ideas in the screenplay but his execution is a little off color.
Verdict : Go for this decent feel good female centric film that has its share of high moments
