Kumaara Sambavam Movie Review: A goofy laugh riot with a warm beating heart

At one point in Kumaara Sambavam, a fit police constable looks at an accused, who is on the heavier side, and equates him to a cupboard. And a split second later, his mindvoice goes, "Ayyayo, Body shaming pannitene... (Oh no... I did some body shaming.)" In the age of star-driven masala-heavy films, Tamil cinema was starving for a self-aware comedy that takes us back to simpler times, and voila! Balaji Venugopal comes up with his sophomore directorial, Kumaara Sambavam.

Director: Balaji Venugopal

Cast: Kumaran Thangarajan, Elango Kumaravel, Bala Saravanan, Vinoth Sagar, GM Kumar, and Payal Radhakrishna

The film starts with a couple of newspaper delivery boys going about their route. Instead of delivering the news, they come across an incident that becomes the news. Popular revolutionary and social worker Varadhan (Elango Kumaravel) is dead, and all hell breaks loose. And gradually, Balaji brings together the pieces of this madcap ride. There's an aspiring filmmaker (Kumaran), whose finances are on hold because of this death. There's a crafty police officer (Shiva Aravind) who is suffering from piles. There is a hero's friend (Bala Saravanan), who is also a real estate broker, and is trying to get the best commission. There is the hero's uncle (Vinoth Munna), who needs a lot of money to get loan sharks off his back. There is the hero's grandfather (GM Kumar), who is unwilling to sell his ancestral house. There is a film producer (Livingston) who is a good person, but is also practical. There is a sketchy chain of hospitals, a sketchier leather tannery, and an even more sketchy fishing company. Oh, there is also the hero's sister (Tharani), who wants to be a doctor, and... an aspiring actor (Vinoth Sagar) who no one wants to make a hero.

There are so many characters with so many needs and possessing so many quirks. Somehow, Balaji ensures every one of them has a part to play, a joke to crack, and at least one moment in the spotlight that allows them to showcase their talents. And the fact that the runtime is just a shade over two hours is a testament to the mostly taut writing of the film. However, it starts on a rather sluggish note as the premise and characters are introduced. The antics in the police station are just sparingly funny, and also feature the only offensive joke in the entire film. But things get better when the narrative gets going after establishing all the characters in the film.

Kumaran might seem like the only straight-faced character in the film, but soon enough, he is given a rather interesting quirk that changes our perspective. The same holds good for almost every other character in the film. Be it Bala Saravanan's character that can't enter a house without estimating its market value or Vinoth Sagar's character who believes he is a method actor of exceptional repute, there's so much attention given to dialling up the fun quotient that a few lapses here and there aren't too distracting. But the film could have done without the excessive musical cues that didn't warrant a place in a film that was already successful in getting the laughs, even without the cue. But if we are able to brush past these initial wrinkles, the second act is a hoot with Balaji adopting a sense of silliness that is comedy gold.

Even as the comedy shines bright, Kumaara Sambavam manages to bring in the right amount of preachiness. The messaging here is not going against the grain of the film, but it is neatly ingrained in the narrative. The messaging is never in your face, even if it is a constant undercurrent throughout. We learn more about Varadhan through Kumaran's investigation, and in a neat flourish, we understand the former's machinations only when the latter connects the dots. But this 'is he good or is he bad' narrative comes with a sense of repetition that is tedious. Nevertheless, the comedy comes to save the day.

Now, these lines might not always work, but here it does because the performances are on point. Kumaran, in his debut, is so aptly cast, and despite being the 'hero,' he doesn't shy away from being the punchline a few times. Then, there is Bala Saravanan, who goes on to prove that comedy in Tamil cinema is still in safe hands, and all it requires is a filmmaker who backs his talent with the right kind of writing. Elango Kumaravel gets a dignified role, and in many ways, is the hero of the film because everyone is talking about him, everything happens around him, and everything unravels because of him. And then comes Vinoth Sagar, who is the show-stealer. He comes in two extended stretches, and both are wonderfully written and excellently performed scenes.

Imagine a Vikram-style whodunit meeting the quirkiness of a Poi Solla Porom with the conviction of a Kadhalikka Neramillai and an Ullathai Allithaa. Of course, time will tell if it becomes endearing like these films, but for now, this Balaji Sambavam gets it mostly right.