Movie: Khaidi
Rating: 3/5
Banner: Dream Warriors
Cast: Karthi Narain, George Maryan, Vatsan Chakravarthy, Yogi Babu, Ponvannan, Thalaivasal Vijay and others
Dialogues: Rakendra Mouli
Music: Sam CS
Cinematography: Sathyan Sooryan
Editing: Philomin Raj
Presented by: KK Radha Mohan
Producers: SR Prakash Babu, SR Prabhu, Tiruppur Vivek
Written and Directed by: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Release date: Oct 25, 2019
After winning great praise for his intense action-drama “Khaki”, Karthi has come up with another daringly different movie “Khaidi”. As the promos have suggested this film has no romance but action.
Let’s find out its merits and demerits.
Story:
A task force headed by Vijay (Narain) seizes drugs worth hundreds of crores. The drug mafia sedates the police officers while they were partying in a faraway place from the city to grab the seized material.
A just-released convict Dilli (Karthi) is entrusted the job of carrying the police officers in a lorry to a hospital. Dilli was on his way to meet his daughter who is at an orphanage.
The drug mafia is planning to take away five police officers from the lorry and another gang hatches a plan to attack SP’s office. All this happens in one night.
Artistes’ Performances:
Karthi has essayed the role of a guy who is torn between his job of transporting the police officers safely and yearning for his daughter’s welfare.
At first, the role seems a deglamorized one that lacks heroism, but as the film progresses, we get to see the stuff that caters to his fans as well. He blazes all guns.
He does action stunts as well (but they are believable and realistic). This also ranks one of his best performances.
Narain as a police officer is superb. The actors who have played the role of Karthi’s daughter and the lorry owner also deserve appreciation.
Technical Excellence:
As the story is set mostly on the roads in the night effect, it is a challenge for any cameraman to come up with some great visuals. Sathyan Sooryan has excelled here. The lighting pattern in some action stunts is stunning. Action stunts are realistic.
There are no songs in the film but the background score has added the mood perfectly. Editing should have been crisp in the second half.
Highlights:
Different story
Riveting narration
Karthi’s flawless performance
No deviation
Drawback:
Repetitiveness in final scenes
A bit lengthy
Analysis
In any thriller, the twists and turns are reserved for the second half to surprise the audiences and much information is not given in the first hour.
But director Lokesh Kanagaraj treads the different path, he comes across as a director with guts. He has laid out all the elements in the open in the beginning of the movie itself.
From the basic premise to the conflict point is established in the first 25 minutes and still it hooks us to the proceedings. Korean and Hollywood filmmakers regularly exhibit such gutsy narrative skills. Here, Lokesh does the same.
Once the core point is established, the director plays with the different characters, their motives, their eccentricities to add tension. Had he narrated the movie in a regular pattern with chases, it would have fallen flat.
The director has given an emotional angle to the basic premise. The sentiments have made this action drama different.
It is a non-stop action drama but the film also makes us teary-eyed on many occasions especially the climax. There is a constant mix of sentiments and action sequences.
Scenes like Karthi’s daughter not sleeping in the night in anticipation of his arrival, Karthi raising his hand to get a mobile signal, Karthi narrating flashback and the activity of students in the police station stand out.
Despite the film features a star-like Karthi, the director has introduced heroine or an item song. There is a flashback about his wife but it is verbal, not visual. Thus we don’t see a female lead at all.
The film has many merits to point out. It is essentially a different and engaging thriller. However, on the flip side, the film is a bit lengthy and becomes repetitive towards the end.
Overall, ‘Khaidi’ is a unique action drama that should be appreciated. It will appeal to serious movie lovers.
Bottom line: Engaging!