Aadukalam

Another Tamizh movie -- I finally caught up with my backlog :) The Taurean insisted that this was a movie totally worth watching. Now, he is not a fan of Dhanush and is aware that I am not one either. Naturally, I was curious. Thankfully, the arien had purchased the VCD a while ago (ya ya - thiruttu VCD). So, we made haste (have been reading too many books set in sm other era) and watched the movie last weekend.

Surprisingly, this was one movie that totally lived up to the hype. It stayed true to the script and you are drawn to Karruppu (Dhanush), and his unflinching faith in his rooster and his mentor, Pettaikaran (Jayabalan).

Image Courtesy: http://kollywoodz.com/movie-preview-aadukalam/

The Story: The story revolves around rooster fights, which is considered a sport in Madurai. Pettaikaran is known for his wins and Karruppu (Dhanush) is one of the lads who handles the roosters and feeds them on a daily basis. A policeman, who belongs to a family who were known for their wins, has been losing to Pettaikaran and wants to have that one last match that will enable him to reclaim his lost glory. Pettaikaran does not want to give in but is forced to. In the last match, Pettaikaran again wins. It is around this time that Pettaikaran asks Dhanush to kill his rooster, because it can never be a winner. Karruppu believes that his rooster has the capability to win and decides to participate, mainly because he is provoked by the other team. This angers Pettaikaran and he announces that Karruppu's participation does not count as Pettaikaran's entry. The policeman loses 3 matches against Karruppu and Karruppu wins a huge sum of money. Pettaikaran is happy for Karruppu. What happens next forms the rest of the movie.

Wah Wah:

• The script is clearly the winner. A taut storyline, an interesting twist makes it worth the while.
• Songs are good. The dapanguthu number, Otha Solala, is choreographed to suit the movie and not Dhanush, who is known to be a good dancer. (You can totally understand his joy and his crazy moves)
• Taapsee, as the anglo-indian girl, is a doll to look at. (Not Kaif-like barbie but those cute ones you had forever as a kid). Her dialogues are few and she has given it her best.
• Pettaikaran -- a fantastic performance.
• Ending - so not typical.

BAH:

• Nothing really.

I enjoyed the movie, the rustic feel of it, the love story hidden amidst the fights. In fact, it brought to mind, Murrattukaalai. A film that made Rajni, highly popular and a superstar. That movie dealt with bull fights in Madurai and Rajni played a larger than life character. While this movie cannot be compared with that classic, it still earns its place in the Hall of Fame.