KD Karuppu Durai (2019)
Cast : Mu. Ramasamy, Naga Vishal
Cast : Mu. Ramasamy, Naga Vishal
Director: Madhumitha
Genre : Dramedy
Synopsis : Karuppu Durai, an bedridden man nearing his eighties, wakes up from his coma and runs away from home, when he learns his family has been planning to perform ancient euthanasia on him.
Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Puts a smile across your face"
This is a humorous, uplifting take on 'thalaikoothal', an ancient form of euthanasia that placed the shameless monopoly of precious life in the hands of the very children that one nurtures. How ironic, I feel, when one's children can decide when you breathe your last, when it was you who breathed life into their very bodies?
This is a humorous, uplifting take on 'thalaikoothal', an ancient form of euthanasia that placed the shameless monopoly of precious life in the hands of the very children that one nurtures. How ironic, I feel, when one's children can decide when you breathe your last, when it was you who breathed life into their very bodies?
The story starts with Karuppu Durai, an ill man in his eighties, lying in a coma. The film begins with an beautiful, rustic monologue of senile innocence in the raspy, mellow voice of Karuppu Durai. But, to wake this comatose man, all it takes is a whiff of his daughter's biryani to get his engines kicking.
Minutes after his awakening, Karuppu Durai hears something - his children's plans to put him to rest forever. This is when the story will surprise you. Instead of dwelling in sorrow and quietly surrendering himself to fate, he springs up like a teenager and quietly runs away from home, before his children notice the empty cot. There he embarks on the journey of his life, clinging to his only belonging - hope and his desire to live. Ironically, he learns to live when forced to die.
On his journey, you start discovering the youthful spirit that had remained trapped in this old man's heart, with his uncontrollable passion for mutton biryani. You start seeing a child with unfulfilled wishes, and he indulges in living life like there's no tomorrow. That is where he encounters Kutty, an orphan who knows his onions. The film does not race to the future or past, but rather puts you in the very moment. It lets you find and admire the little pockets of joy hidden in mundane life. This film is the kind that will put a smile across your face, and drench you in the melancholic irony of life.
"Emotionally ripping"
This is a poignant tale of how two distinct paths can sometimes cross ever so beautifully, in the most unexpected way. It shows how contrasting differences are not so apart after all, when both nurture the same wish - love. Madhumitha beautifully unites two orphaned souls together, yearning for the same thing - love and family. Eventually, they seek refuge in each other's affection, and does not fail to give that warmth your heart needs.
An emotionally ripping tale that taints a different hue to what love is, and that it does not always have to share the same blood.
It shows how thin a line life and death share, but never forgets to add a pinch of feel-good oomph and certainly does not hesitate to throw in a few giggles in the narrative.
The strength of the script, the dimensions and the emotional depth of its characters, is what sets KD Karuppu Durai apart from the rest. In the second half, though, the story slightly strays off-track, but still manages to come back to form.
At times, it feels like a raw Tamil version of Oru Mutthassiyin Gadha, for the film tries its best to remain optimistic, yet with a few touches of melancholy. But, KD Karuppu Durai holds a deeper sense of meaning and connection, and tries to dig the truth and answers to questions that have kept mankind perplexed forever. After the team gets together, the story does become reminiscent of Oru Muthashiyin gadha, with KD slaying his old demons and reviving the lost joy in his life.
"Fearless in portrayal"
Thus, two orphans, whose paths meet reluctantly, closely knits their souls, but eventually rips them apart as well. KD Karuppu Durai fearlessly portrays death like a buried secret whose authority and influence over our hearts only swells deep inside, and this film steadily rubs it on our palate and amplifies it, transforming it from a feared whisper to a pronounced truth.
It also points how a painful departure does not mean the end of the road, but the beginning of another,
explores the definition of love and proves that no time and distance can break true love and affection.
explores the definition of love and proves that no time and distance can break true love and affection.
I loved the subtle expression of the film, especially when KD and Kutty's paths separate, quite literally, on two diverging roads.
This film is never complete without its excellent casting.
Kutty deserves a special mention - he adds the right amount of giggles and innocence (or even more, for you can never get enough of this pint-sized shotgun) to what otherwise might have been a dark film. Beneath these layers of sarcasm and laughter lies a lonely child, frightened of being abandoned yet again. His expressions speak such maturity in the art of drama at a tender age. He seems to have perfected the art, for his finesse is quite evident on screen.
Kutty deserves a special mention - he adds the right amount of giggles and innocence (or even more, for you can never get enough of this pint-sized shotgun) to what otherwise might have been a dark film. Beneath these layers of sarcasm and laughter lies a lonely child, frightened of being abandoned yet again. His expressions speak such maturity in the art of drama at a tender age. He seems to have perfected the art, for his finesse is quite evident on screen.
It is also encouraging, in today's times, to see more of female directorial talent rising above the rest, with masterpieces as this.
This is one of those rare gems that you will never want to miss watching.
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