Kalakalappu 2 Review: Twice the colour, twice the fun

To begin with, the film isn’t the exact sequel of the original. The movie begins with an Income Tax raid at an ex-minister’s (played by Madhusudhan Rao) house. His close aide manages to pass on the laptop to his auditor (Muniskanth), who leaves for Varanasi. Meanwhile, Raghu (Jai) enters a religious gathering at Kumbakonam with a knife to murder his father, who he believes is the reason behind the family’s debt-ridden financial situation. 

Raghu’s father then tells him that their family property worth Rs 10 crore has been under lease for 100 years in Varanasi and the period has now expired. If he manages to find the property and sell it, it will be a solution to his struggle. Muniskanth, meanwhile, calls upon the minister from Kasi and threatens that he will reveal the details of his assets to the Income Tax department and demands a sum of Rs 5 crore to return the laptop. Radha Ravi, a police officer, leaves for Varanasi on the minister’s behalf to settle the amount and get the laptop back. 

In Varanasi, Radha Ravi is received by Seenu (Jiiva) who runs an old mansion, along with his grandmother and sister, and cons tourists who stay in his mansion. While Radha Ravi turns down the offer, Raghu willingly accepts to stay in Seenu’s mansion. There, Raghu meets Aishwarya (Nikki Galrani) and falls in love with her. On the other hand, Seenu meets Hema (Catherine Tresa), at his sister’s Swayamvar. Raghu comes to know that Seenu’s mansion is his ancestral property but then comes to an agreement with Seenu. Later, the duo realise that they have been robbed of their loan money by the same person Ganesh (Siva). The story now heads to Karaikudi. From there, several twists and turns leads to the climax to reveal which of these teams emerge victorious. While we have mostly seen the darker side of Varanasi in recent Tamil films, Sundar C has shown its fresh and colourful side in Kalakalappu 2. 

The entire movie has a vibrant look and the actors have been styled perfectly to match the surroundings. The first half is interesting in parts. However, the second half is a laugh riot and the dialogue delivery and body language of the cast are perfect and succeed in tickling our funny bone without ever trying too much. 

While Siva Manasula Sakthi has been the talking point of Jiiva’s career in the last decade, Kalakalappu 2 will be another film for which the actor will be appreciated. Jai is good with his comic timing. His chemistry with Jiiva and other co-stars works in most parts. Catherine Tresa, who is known among the audience as Kalaiyarasi and Meenu Kutty, has played a very sensible character as Hema and will be remembered for this role. She steals the show every time she’s in the frame. 

As a saree-clad Tahsildar, Nikki Galrani proves there’s more to her than glamour and dancing around the hero. The actress has packed in a solid performance. Meanwhile, Siva makes everybody laugh despite keeping a straight face while delivering the funniest dialogues in the film. So, if you’re looking to have a fun time with family at the movies, look no further than Kalakalappu 2.

Cast: Jiiva, Jai, Shiva, Nikki Galrani, Catherine Tresa, Manobala, Sathish, VTV Ganesh, Radha Ravi, Robo Shankar, Yogi Babu, Singampuli, Singamuthu, Nandita Swetha

Directed by: Sundar C   

Music: Hiphop Tamizha 

Synopsis: An unexpected turn of events in various parts of the country takes different characters to Varanasi. Each of them ends up getting into the other’s story and who makes the best out of the hilarious situations they find themselves in forms the crux of the story.  

Rating: 3.5/5