Perhaps through his protagonist, Murugan, Dhanush is fulfilling a longtime wish – to return to the kind of films he, and the 90s kids among us, were raised on. Idli Kadai doesn’t breathe the same air as what passes for “new wave” cinema these days. It's decidedly more "old-school" than his previous directorials. The whiff of influences of cinema from a bygone era is unmistakable. Dhanush’s work here appears to be a tapestry of thoughts gleaned from not just some of the films that starred his ex-father-in-law, such as Yajaman, Muthu, and Raja Chinna Roja, but also the other reigning Tamil superstar, from Nayagan to Thevar Magan.
You’ll even think of The Godfather and Swades. How can we not, when Dhanush presents an endearing protagonist who rallies for old-school values – a man who found success abroad but suddenly has a change of heart and returns to his roots after being shattered by two successive tragedies at home.
Interestingly, Dhanush resists turning his protagonist, played by himself, into a full-fledged ‘mass’ hero despite putting him through several action-template scenarios. Strangely enough, Dhanush manages to pull off a better tribute to the cinema of yore than some of his younger contemporaries who attempted the same recently and faltered badly. That isn’t to say he has managed a completely flawless enterprise either. When you’re trying to recreate that old-school charm, chances are you’re going to make certain storytelling compromises here and there. After all, can we confidently say that every movie we loved as a child – and continue to love through our adulthood – was faultless?
Idli Kadai, too, has its rough edges. Arun Vijay’s antagonist, for example, isn’t exactly a character who would stay with you hours after leaving the theatre. (I’ve already forgotten his character's name.) He is an egotistical, cliché-ridden villain who would rather break a mirror in front of his father than do it while alone. His character description doesn’t go beyond ‘angry, vengeful, spoilt brat’.
Sathyaraj plays the only “negative” character – there are three or more baddies, but you’ll see why I included double quotes when you see the film – who feels comfortable with what he’s given, because it’s a variation of roles he did in the past. After all, this is an actor who used to play “old” characters even in his younger days. Samuthirakani is the weakest-written villain of the three, and his performance, at times, verges on unintentionally funny.
The succession of gloomy stretches at the beginning runs the risk of discouraging some, but it doesn’t stick to that mood for very long. We do encounter a few instances of violence that raise suspicions about whether Dhanush will attempt to emulate what one of his frequent collaborators, Vetrimaaran, did in Asuran or Vada Chennai. But Idli Kadai is a film that goes to the extent of preaching non-violence as a virtue. Funnily enough, we first see this message right after an intense fight, on the wall of the shop once run by Murugan’s father.
But the minute Nithya Menen shows up as Kayal, we expect liveliness, rekindled romance, and a bit of humour to follow, and we get exactly that. While not exactly Thiruchitrambalam 2.0, the Dhanush-Nithya moments are winsome to say the least. Note the scene where they struggle to make idlis for the first time, and the expression on their faces is no different from that of treasure-seekers striking gold. One tender moment involves a calf, believed to be a reincarnation of a deceased loved one, and later Murugan’s constant companion – aside from Kayal, of course. R. Parthiban plays a deceptive police officer who springs some interesting surprises along the way.
There is one tiny scene that may seem insignificant to others, but with which one can draw parallels to film criticism: Ilavarasu, as one of Murugan’s associates, tries his hand at making idlis, and becomes irate when a regular customer refuses to furnish a “proper verdict.” He then proceeds to enlighten him on the painful process of making them. Much later, one character finds idly-making the most befitting punishment for his worst enemy.
Film: Idli Kadai
Director: Dhanush
Cast: Dhanush, Nithya Menen, Rajkiran, Sathyaraj, Arun Vijay, Ilavarasu, Shalini Pandey, R. Parthiban, Samuthirakani, Geetha Kailasam
Rating: 3.5/5
