Known for his feel good and emotional family dramas, director Seenu Ramasamy has now come out with his latest directorial venture, Kanne Kalaimaane, after a successful Dharmadurai. Kanne Kalaimaane stars Udhayanidhi Stalin and Tamannaah in the lead roles with music scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja.
Kanne Kalaimaane deals with the lives of Kannan (Udhayanidhi Stalin) and Bharathi (Tamannaah) and how things turn upside down post an unexpected incident. The film doesn't get to reach any high point through the first 90 minutes and due to this, the proceedings don't excite much. There is nothing of much importance happening either. The main twist that gets revealed in the midway of the second half will definitely be an unexpected one and one could have never seen that coming, while you keep wondering what could be the conflict, as there is no big impact for the major part of the film. But things become different (in a positive way), after the major unexpected incident that happens in the lives of Kannan and Bharathi.
The feminism touch that is etched out through the character of Bharathi is very neat. While many young generation filmmakers go overboard with the handling of feminism, the experienced Seenu Ramasamy, along with his team project feminism with conviction. The romantic sequences between Udhay and Tamannaah in the latter half is dealt in a mature manner but the initial scenes that establish their love don't convey the emotions. The biggest strength of Kanne Kalaimaane happens to be its last thirty minutes and the positive climax that shows a ray of hope.
The emotionally knitted scenes in the last half will enhance the overall watching experience of the audience. The breeziness is seen to a major extent and in that way, the Seenu Ramasamy stamp is experienced. Kanne Kalaimane's title is justified through the main conflict and it is best to be left as a surprise.
Udhayanidhi Stalin is getting better as an actor with every film and Kanne Kalaimaane is another step towards his positive acting career. His subtle portrayal as Kannan gets naturally connected with the audience. Tamannaah gets a meaty role and fortunately, a woman character that doesn't look dumb. Things would have been much more different and impactful had she shown variations in her performance. Veteran Vadivukkarasi is fantastic and her proficiency is an asset to the film. She fits the bill as a caring grandmother. Vasundhara is that positive character you encounter in your life and the young lady has done it with ease. Theepetti Ganesan brings laughs with the very limited space he gets and he could have been utilized better for more liveliness in the film.
KK’s story doesn’t seem to be complete and fulfilled. The plot line is very thin and due to this, the proceedings don’t interest you. The emotions are usually well written in a Seenu Ramasamy film but in Kanne Kalaimaane, it looks artificial. The messages are spread through major parts of the film and most things do not seem to fit into the film. It looks like the director wants to talk about every social issue within a single film but this film doesn’t need that. The first half of the film is completely flat and it could probably turn out to be a boring watch. Things fortunately get better in the second half, saving the film to an extent. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the film’s takeaway completely lies in its last thirty minutes.
On the technical front, Jalandhar’s visual tone is uniform and helps with the breezy mood of the film. However, at the same time, too much of aerial shots do not help either. One would want to say that Yuvan Shankar Raja is a major strength to the film, but he isn’t. The underwhelming songs and the background score do not aid the flow.
