'Kara' film review: Dhanush and Vignesh deliver a balanced drama

Cast: Dhanush, Mamitha Baiju, KS Ravikumar, Jayaram, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Karunas, Prithvi Pandiarajan, and Sreeja Ravi

Director: Vignesh Raja

Music director: GV Prakash Kumar

Rating: 3/5

CHENNAI: Expectations for a Dhanush film are always high ahead of release and Kara was no exception. The actor is known to deliver stunning performances even in a mass entertainer and Vignesh Rajan became a director to sit up and take notice since the release of Por Thozhil. This combination set the tone for Kara but at the same time the buzz in the industry was how Vignesh in his sophomore project handled a seasoned campaigner like Dhanush, for whom acting and directing is a cakewalk. The answer for this is a big yes. Vignesh has quite easily handled not only Dhanush but the entire narrative in a smooth manner, which is evident even as we watch the movie.

The film is set in the 1990s and the story opens in Thiruverumbur, where Karasaamy (Dhanush) and Murugesan (Prithvi Pandiarajan) rob a house in disguise of electricity board linemen. Kara is caught red-handed while Murugesan manages to escape. The former is taken to the police station where DSP Bharathan (Suraj Venjaramoodu), a publicity-hungry cop, assaults him. Kara’s fiancée Selli is shocked to learn that her boyfriend is a criminal. However, Kara manages to escape and starts a new life in Renigunta. The couple wants to start their own eatery but banks deprive them of borrowing loans without collateral.

Kara goes to his hometown in Ramanathapuram after 16 years to ask his dad Kandasamy to sell their land, which would help him financially. But his land has already been pledged by his father to a local bank for buying tractors. What follows puts Kara in a fix and the land is seized by the bank. He has no other options than to go back to his past. Kara begins stealing from the banks and this is where the story begins. All these account for 45-minutes of the 163-minute film. The movie though takes time to settle, begins unfolding in a rapid pace with a banger of an interval block. Along with the story, solid performances from the cast -- Jayaram, KS Ravikumar, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Karunas, enhance the writing. Special mention to Mamitha Baiju as Selli and Prithvi as Murugesan. They have played their very well and have complemented Dhanush’s performance as well. We only wish that Murugesan’s character was given a complete arc rather than ending it loose.

The second half is a mixed bag of emotions but holds the film strong. When we see Dhanush on screen living his character, GV Prakash’s music reminds us of why he is a two-time National award winner. GV as a composer is a hero of his own. Then there is Theni Eashwar’s cinematography who has filmed Ramanathapuram like he knows the district from the back of his hands. Moreover, he knows his actors well and their face profiles, in capturing their emotions right. The film though has a bit of lag certainly doesn’t feel like a dragging watch. Heist and emotions rule the roost in this drama with a strong message.

Vignesh has set this story in the 90s which has given him the liberty to write heist scenes without logical loopholes. The team has done a great deal of research for locations sans modern infrastructures as well as in recreating things from that era. After Thaai Kizhavi and Youth, Kara will certainly extend a helping 'Karaa' to Tamil Nadu theatres as it is all set to have a command in the box-office in coming weeks.