Recommended
Siddharth and Prithviraj have their moments, but they struggle with ill-defined parts, and with events that are predictable in the extreme. Vasanthabalan sets up these prolonged scenes that are intended as nail-biters – who will get the plum role when Bhairavan departs in a huff? Who will be brought in as a substitute for the ailing Gomathi? – but everyone in the audience knows the answer. After a point, we even know how things are going to end (though there is a small twist in store). There is no denying Vasanthabalan’s desire to make “good cinema,” but like his other films, Kaaviya Thalaivan makes us give him an A for effort, even as we rummage down the alphabet when it comes to aspects of the execution.