Gods must be Happy!

It is for no reason that Bala is considered one of the best directors in Tamil today- and he reiterates this fact categorically with "Naan Kadavul". This is the kind of movie that many directors would have dreamt of making but very few would have the guts to make.

Naan Kadavul delves deep into the psyche of aghori sanyasis through its protagonist Rudhran (Arya) who was abandoned as a teenager in the holy city of Varanasi by his father following an astrologer's advice. More than a decade later, the father resurfaces in Varanasi and manages to find out his son who is an Aghori now. Rudhran's guru convinces him to go to his native and his family is totally shattered to find out that Rudhran literally lives on alcohol and marijuana. This takes him to a set of sanyasis who make a living out of begging afoot a hill top temple along with a group of beggars controlled by the cruel Thandavan. In comes Hamsavalli (Pooja), a blind singer and takes over the narrative thereafter.

There is nothing much in terms of story value to "Naan Kadavul" but it is the treatment that makes a difference. Bala's expertise as a story teller comes to the fore while depicting the lives of the group of beggars- even in the face of adversities and abject poverty, the gentle humor in their lives and their very zest to live has been brought out beautifully. Hamsavalli is a well etched out character and the range of emotions that she goes through has been brought out very well by Pooja, indeed an award winning effort! Jayamohan's dialogues are sharp, Suresh Urs does a good job with his pair of scissors and Arthur Wilson's camera adds to the authenticity of Krishna Moorthy's designs.

Arya needs to be congratulated for taking up a completely unconventional role and breathing fire into it. In addition to acting prowess, Naan Kadavul is a good showcase for Arya's well toned body and the actor does not hesitate to drop even the last piece of clothing for the sake of authenticity. I dont think any other conventional leading man would have taken such a big risk, that too barely half a dozen movies into a very promising career!

Maestro Ilaiyaraaja's background score adds to the mysticism of Varanasi and among the songs, Madhu Balakrishnan's soulful rendering of "Pichai Pathiram" and Vijay Prakash's high octave vocals to "Om Shivoham" stand out! If you are a serious movie buff, you will definitely come out of this cinema chanting "Jai Bholenath"