Review: ‘Katteri’
Deekay, who impressed with ‘Yaamirukka Bayamaen’, is back with another entertainer called Katteri which has both horror and comedy in equal measure
Film: Katteri
Director: Deekay
Cast: Vaibhav, Sonam Bajwa, Varalaxmi, Aathmika, Ravi Mariya, John Vijay and others
Music: Prasad S N
Cinematography: Vignesh Vasu
Rating: 3 stars
Director Deekay, who impressed audiences with his ‘Yaamirukka Bayamaen’, is back with another horror-comedy, which has both components — horror and comedy– in equal measure.
The film is about a bunch of gangsters, who, while fleeing from their boss, end up kidnapping a psychiatrist. The bunch decides to go in search of a treasure and ends up in a village, full of spirits. What happens then is what ‘Katteri’ is all about.
Although horror and comedy sequences are in equal measure, only some comedy sequences work while most horror sequences in the film are spot on.
Most directors tend to focus more on the comedy part in a horror-comedy in the hope that it will make their films more entertaining. However, full marks to Deekay, who gives adequate importance to the horror part as well in his film. In fact, the horror part, on which the story is based, is what saves the day for the director.
‘Katteri’ gets off to a slow start and then slows down even more to the point of becoming a drag. But then, once the flashback portion on why an entire village ended up being murdered arrives, the story picks up pace.
Coming to performances, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as Maathaama impresses. The role is tailor-made for her and she simply revels in it.
Actors Vaibhav, who plays Kiran, and Sonam Bajwa, who plays Kiran’s newly wedded wife Swetha, deliver exactly what is expected of them.
Actress Aathmika, who plays psychiatrist Kaamini, and Karunakaran, who plays Gaja, one of the gangsters, play their parts to perfection.
Actor Ravi Mariya, who plays Kali Urundai, does a neat job of his role. However, his costumes in the film might not be to the liking of some of the audiences. Some of the jokes cracked in the film too are crass in nature and might not appeal to a section of the audience.
While usually horror sequences that work owe their successes to sound engineers and cinematographers, one of the primary reasons why the horror sequences in ‘Katteri’ work is due to the fantastic work of the make-up team. The look of the prime evil spirit, ‘Katteri’, in particular, sends a shiver down your spine and the entire make up team of the unit needs to be congratulated.
Vignesh Vasu’s sharp visuals aid director Deekay’s narration and enhance the impact.
On the whole, Deekay’s ‘Kaateri’ is an engaging entertainer, with the film scoring more through its horror parts than its comedy segments.
