Kadavul Paathi Mirugam Paathi is the tale of a misogynistic psychopath out to kill a woman, only because she looks like a woman he loathes. The thriller, starring Raj Zacharias and Pooja Umashankar, is based on the memorable character – Nandu – from Kamal Haasan’s Aalavandhan.
The protagonist commits a murder to escape from a mental asylum. And, there is a chase quite like the famous one in Aalavandhan. But the similarities end there. The rest of the time, Kadavul Paathi Mirugam Paathi seems a sloppily made road movie, with a decent background that seeks to remind once in a while that this is after all, a thriller.
Unlike Nandu, whose appearance would be rather fearful, the murderer here wears trendy denim and aviators. And, is quite the unsuccessful lunatic.
The camera does a lot of work for him – circling his shoes, and what not – but, that’s just not enough to evoke fear. Even a little.
*****
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Nothing much is said till the title appears.
But when dialogue does happen, it sounds evidently scripted.
*****
Recommended
Of course, the psychopath has a tragic past. Of a woman and a fractured relationship. However, the director – Raj Zacharias himself – makes an expensive mistake of narrating it in a quick montage. And when we finally learn the reason behind all the blood-thirstiness (an unsorted medical issue), it sounds unconvincing.
3 presented a similar premise before. And, how.
*****
Pooja Umashankar, who was last seen in the brilliant Vidiyum Munn as a sex-worker struggling to save a young girl from flesh-trade doesn’t have much to do here.
She smiles. She sobs. And, she rides a bike.
Such a sheer waste of good talent. Really.
*****
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