Kozhipannai Chelladurai Movie Review: An emotionally unsettling second half makes up for the flaws

Out of 10 people, seven or eight will provide some solution for every single thing under the sun, from a small civic issue to even the Israel-Palestine or Russia-Ukraine war situation. But their pride in solving problems gets amputated when it comes to their unresolved traumas and troubled past. Filmmaker Seenu Ramasamy's Kozhipannai Chelladurai is a film that challenges such 'solution providers' with the proposition of addressing their emotional baggage.

Kozhipannai Chelladurai begins with the little Chelladurai and his younger sister Jeyasudha turning mute spectators of their parents' tumultuous marriage coming to an end. Their tipsy father Viruman, who returns from the Army without informing in advance, ties up his wife and her paramour, of whom Viruman is in the know through his nosy neighbours. Viruman leaves the children at their grandmother's place once and for all. How the rest of this disjointed family struggles to fend for itself and can give some meaning to the term 'family' is what the film is about.

Like the other Seenu Ramasamy films, Kozhipannai Chelladurai also doesn't really bother itself with creating moments at regular intervals and doesn't pledge allegiance to the three-act structure. Part of the problem with such films is that the mere world-building and character establishment should be so good that it compensates for other momentary delights that they lack. The film suffers the most from the fact it extensively uses the routine of characters' interactions, a staple of Seenu Ramasamy screenplays. Aegan looks convincing as a stoic Chelladurai who will simply trample down anything that comes in the way of his attention and devotion to his sister's wellbeing. The first half would have been much better if it was economical with the exposition. Chelladurai's love for his sister Jayasudha (Sathya Devi), his embarrassment due to his mother's ignominy, him stone-walling Thamaraiselvi (Brigida Saga) for her romantic advances, and his respect for uncle Periyasamy (Yogi Babu) were all necessary details, but there are too many scenes devoted to portraying each of these aspects. Also, Kozhipannai Chelladurai, set in a verdant Theni district, went wrong with keeping Chelladurai-Jayasudha's story to themselves and their close ones. In the past, films set in a rural backdrop have succeeded because of a screenplay that is driven by everyone's-lives-are-everyone's-business aspect. Despite having such a story, the lack of engaging several players to create a conflict or a drama feels like a missed opportunity. The failed bid to evoke laughter also contributed to our grouse with the first half. 

Director: Seenu Ramasamy

Cast: Aegan, Sathya Devi, Yogi Babu, Brigida Saga

Rating: 2.5/5

Since this is Aegan's debut film, we do not know his limitations in acting yet. If being expressive is one, it has actually helped him carry out this role well. Sathya Devi's performance as a guarded and modest sister looks neat. Though it looks in places as though her role feeds into Chelladurai's trust issues, which he needs to be helped out of, that doesn't make us dislike her. When we appreciate the fact that Jeyasudha doesn't know more than 10 people in her life, we are convinced, if not satisfied, that it is only natural for her to react in a set pattern to certain situations. The line between empathising and admiring blurs here. Like we mentioned before, the humour doesn't land in most places, but thankfully for Yogi Babu's Periyasamy, he was entrusted with a lot more than just the body-shaming jokes, like "Neeye Kozhi botti (intestine) maadhri irukka, enakku nee pottiya (competition)," and he has done a decent job with that. Compared to the three, Brigida had a lot of catching up to do. But yeah, there is technically nothing new left for her to stand out among multiple heroines seen in hundreds of films, whose roles had nothing except woo the man by cooking and dressing up. There was only that much Brigida could have done.

All is not lost with Kozhipannai Chelladurai, as the second half has some exceptional turns and moments that are emotionally moving. Similar to some of Seenu Ramasamy's previous films, when a life and ecosystem get set, problems that could disrupt that ecosystem arise and build up, shifting the narration towards the climax. Chelladurai's vulnerability when he can no longer run from his past looked compelling, and he has all our sympathies. We would have watched several Tamil cinema heroes taking up world-saving assignments; none of that could really match the dazedness one would be subject to when a bad and distant memory resurrects and thrusts itself into reality. Seenu Ramasamy's Kozhipannai Chelladurai is yet another story of his that breaks the facade of strength to expose a man's emotional and psychological fragility, not by any nuclear weapon but something as simple as a lack of warmth and reassurance, which are by far the most lethal weapons.