Romance, thrills, and comedy

KADHALUM KADANTHU POGUM has many rich elements going for it: For one, it is directed by Nalan Kumarasamy, who delivered the cult classic Soodhu Kavvum. The film also has a much-awaited lead pair: the director's favourite Vijay Sethupathi and the young sensation Madonna Sebastian, also known as Celine of Premam fame.
But what makes the film rather admirable is that the makers apportion due credit to the Korean film My Dear Desperado. The official remake of the romantic thriller comedy (yes, our genres keep expanding), the film is a bold attempt at tackling a storyline that is pretty common in Tamil.
A young IT executive falling for a goon is not the kind of one-liner that will excite viewers much. But count in the Nalan Kumarasamy factor, the presence of Vijay Sethupathi who has an uncanny ability to make even the ordinary look extraordinary, and you have the ingredients of a clear winner. As surprise factors go, when Nalan wrote the script he did not have Vijay Sethupathi in mind. He wanted Sasikumar. Well, for Soodhu Kavvum, Nalan's original choice was Vadivelu. But with Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum, he is also proving a point.
He is refusing to succumb to industry pressure with producers chasing him down to do another dark comedy in the mould of his earlier film. He therefore wants audiences to forget the fact that Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum comes from the Soodhu Kavvum director. Nalan says the romance in the film starts towards the end of the film, and that the movie has a high quotient of internal conflicts and resolution that involve the lead characters.
His own parameter is not to be stereotyped as a director, and if audiences can take heed of his wish, they could be in for some surprises with Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum, now playing at theatres in the UAE.

• South Stars