Cast: Trisha, Siddharth, Hansika Motwani, Sundar C, Poonam Bajwa
Banner: Sarvanth Ram Creations & Good Cinema Group
Music: Hiphop Tamizha
Producers: Good Friends
Director: Sundar C
Beware of Her!
Plot:
Murali (Siddharth) visits his haunted house along with fiancé Anitha (Trisha) to take care of his ill father who has been assaulted by an evil spirit. In a series of unexpected events, Murali's elder brother and his trusted aid are also attacked by the ghost. Anitha's brother Ravi (Sundar C) who has been investigating the course of events in the house helps Murali in finding out that the ghost is none other than Murali's younger sister Kala. How did Kalavathi turn a ghost, why is she haunting her siblings and how did Murali & family survive this forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
Trisha: She is the first one to grab your eyes with her glamor. However she has been largely pertained to glam show and some puppetry in the second half.
Hansika: She does a decent job in the titular role of Kalavathi (no special value that she brings to the film).
Siddharth: One seriously wonders why did an exceptional actor like Siddharth chose to be a part of this film! Usually we see heroines being limited to just songs, dances and few dialogues but it is Siddharth in this film. Since he is the named the hero, it stays till the end.
Sundar C: He plays the gutsy crusader who puts his life at stake for the protagonist’s family but he’s no worthy addition to the film.
Poonam Bajwa: She gave her best to the brief yet significant role in the film.
The comedy of Manobala, Kovai Sarala & Parotta Survi works here and there.
Analysis:
Yes it is the horror comedy era but here is a horror comedy that carries a disconnect right from the word go. Even if you want to adjust for the sake of the familiar cast, Kalavathi’s script and narration doesn’t let you sit in peace. Moreover, the film bears traces of Chandrakala and is a substantial attempt to sell old wine in an old bottle but with a changed name & price tag.
Director Sundar C who tasted success with Aranmai (Chandrakala in Telugu) dished out yet another film with a similar template and treatment. He tried to repeat the magic with a blend of commercial elements & scary moments but could achieve only the former.
Coming to the film that deals with battling a vengeful spirit in a house, the director sticks to his kitchen sink filmmaking formulae and in an attempt to mix horror & comedy, the bottom falls out especially in the first half. There is neither a scary moment nor a hilarious comedy sequence and the lazy predictable narration mounted with the pesky songs might be even more bothering. Now a key element of the story is revealed in the pre-intermission episode and on the contrary the second half manages to tickle you a bit. The comedy track between Soori-Kovai Sarala-Manobala works for this segment and the pre-climax & climax episodes are noisy and hasty.
Unless if you are a fan of such cacophonic stuff, there isn’t a possibility you would enjoy it. And in a nutshell, the second half scores better than the first half.
Merits:
Trisha’s glamor.
Comedy track between Soori-Kovai Sarala-Manobala especially in the second half.
Engaging second half.
Background score.
De-Merits:
Lack of Telugu nativity
Bland first half with no concrete scary & fun moment.
Mediocre and tacky special effects.
Cinematography.
Music:
Songs by Hip Hop Thamizha might suit Tamil nativity but might not appeal to us. On top of it, they look coerced in the script, especially the Meow Meow song. The background score is loud yet decent enough to make the film engaging.
Others:
Yesteryear heroine Khushboo surprised with her oomph and moves in her brief cameo in the film.
Verdict:
Kalavathi is a mass masala horror comedy that can neither totally scare nor tickle you. Even then if you wish to risk it for Trisha/Siddarth/Hansika, it is up to you!