Review: Kattam Solludhu

Film: Kattam Solludhu

Written & Directed by S.G.Ezhilan

Produced by Kanna Ganesan Productions

Co Producers – Raja Ayyapan, “Pudhvai” R.R. Karthikeyan

Cinematography – J. Sabarish BSc, D.F.Tech

Music – Tamim Ansari

Editing – Vijay Velukutty

Art Director – Praveen UC, MFA, Sanarthanan S, MFA

Cast: Deepa Shankar – Sakthikani; S.G.Ezhilan – Vanthiyadevan;
T.Thidiyan – Uthravathi; Su.Chinnadurai – Buddhi Sigamani ;
Sagundala – Vanthiyadevan Mother; Raja Ayyapan – Kutty ;
J. Sabarish – Gopi; Manivasagan – Vettukili (Venkatraman) and others

Rating: 3 stars

Director S G Ezhilan’s Kattam Solludhu is a genuinely funny film that not only takes a potshot at superstitions in a sort of soft, harmless way, but also narrates a heart-warming story while doing so.

Ezhilan’s effort is commendable for several reasons.Firstly, he deserves praise for having made a reasonably good film, without having any prior experience in the film industry whatsoever.

The young software engineer-turned-director has not worked with or under an experienced director in any capacity and has chosen to make this film, all out of his own interest and with faith in his ability to learn filmmaking all by himself.

His faith seems to have paid off and he seems to have made a thorough entertainer with a simple cast and a significant message.

The film begins with Shakthikani (Deepa Shankar) going about making arrangements for her daughter’s wedding. She’s fixed the date of the wedding and goes about paying advance amounts to everybody, from the musicians who will play at her daughter’s wedding, to the wedding hall where the wedding is scheduled to take place.

There is a hitch however. The bridegroom has not yet been decided. In fact, she hasn’t found a suitable match yet but is determined to get her daughter married by a particular date as soothsayers and astrologers have predicted that her daughter will remain unmarried for life if her wedding doesn’t happen by then.

With the date of the wedding finalised, In the process of finding a suitable bridegroom, hurries to another astrologer, who has become so famous that TV channels are busy interviewing him.

With no other option but to wait, Shakthikani hastens her search for a bridegroom. She heads to an astrologer with the astrological charts of some prospective grooms. It is here that she meets Uthravathi (Thidiyan), a youngster who has come to visit the astrologer. To kill time, Shakthikani and Uthravathi begin to talk to each other. Soon, he begins to tell about his life that revolve around his friends, one of whom happens to be Vanthiyadevan(Ezhilan). What happens after that is what Kattam Solludhu is about…

The film has some really genuine funny sequences and that is precisely what makes the plot work.

Be it a competition sequence that is conducted by a jobless man, who claims to be the uncle of a girl for whose hand three friends are competing, or the efforts that the hero makes to alter the horoscope of the girl he loves to make sure it matches with his, the incidents evoke laughter and make the film enjoyable and relatable.

In particular, the sequences in which Vanthiyadevan makes an effort to find out who is spilling the beans about him and his plans to his dad are outright hilarious.

The story is the hero of Kattam Solludhu and therefore, despite not having no known face other than that of Deepa Shankar, the film still manages to impress.

Although the cast is relatively new, they make an impression. Be it Ezhilan who plays Vanthiyadevan, or Uthravathi who plays Thidiyan, all of them deliver. Casting is another area that Ezhilan scores big and handsomely.

The third reason why Kattam Solludhu works is because of its music and cinematography. Both music director Tamim Ansari and cinematographer Sabarish might not have done outstanding work but their work is good enough to let the story work its charm. No jarring or distracting background score to give you a headache or horrible close up shots of artistes. Both the music director and cinematographer deliver what is necessary for the film in a manner that is apt.

Kattam Solludhu might not have any recognisable stars in it but don’t let that fool you into not watching it.