Adhe Kangal review: Thrill out

A still from the film “Adhe Kangal”.

Adhe Kangal is directed by Rohin Venkatesan, but it’s perhaps more useful to consider the name of the producer: C.V. Kumar. Some of his films work, some don’t — but they’re always interesting, at least on paper.

At the beginning, Adhe Kangal looks like a love triangle. A blind chef (Varun, played by Kalaiyarasan) falls for Deepa (Sshivada), while his friend Sadhana (Janani Iyer) is in love with him. But soon, there’s an accident, an abduction — the film morphs into a investigative thriller.

The problem with

Adhe Kangal is that it rarely transcends the “interesting on paper” stage. There’s a great story, but the screenplay isn’t tight — and the detours into duets and Bala Saravanan’s comedy, with Mickey Mouse music, don’t help. The dialogue is too direct, with little flavour. And for a thriller, there’s very little mood, atmosphere. Is it fair to expect a bunch of newcomers to make a technically accomplished film, to really know their craft? Perhaps not. But in the face of something like

Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru , excuses look weak.

Things begin to look up in the second half, even if the big reveal is seen from a mile away. But the villain’s character makes things slightly interesting. It’s easily the best-written of the bunch, and the others end up looking completely colourless in comparison.

Adhe Kangal belongs to Sshivada. She’s asked to deliver a few too many enigmatic smiles, but she pulls the film together. Among the less-established actresses, she has easily the best resume — the terribly underrated Nedunchaalai , last year’s gonzo horror film Zero , and now this. One hopes Kollywood is taking note.

A still from the film “Adhe Kangal”.

Genre: Thriller

Director: Rohin Venkatesan

Cast: Kalaiyarasan, Janani Iyer, Sshivada

Storyline: An accident. An abduction. And an investigation.

Bottomline: Not as good as it sounds on paper, but not bad either