Kaaki Sattai marks Sivakarthikeyan's first serious film and the first cop role in his career. So, far Sivakarthikeyan has been playing to its strengths and to the gallery by opting for roles that brim with devil-may-care attitude with mass appeal catering to C center audiences. It was only in Maan Karate he targeted the urban audience and though the film earned miserable reviews from the critics, it turned out to be a moneyspinner at the box office. How has Siva's first serious transformation turned out?

Plot

Sivakarthikeyan (Mathimaaran) is a honest cop who tries to give justice the attire he wears. A mysterious, intriguing case on organ trafficking baffles him and he decides to resolve at any cost. This is the simple premise of the film. A film that could have been more serious and better has been botched up by forced, overdose of comedy which spoils the flow completely. Fortunately, it's the same comedy which saves the film too on many occasions. 

Performance

Sivakarthikeyan is smart and wears chic costumes throughout the film elevating his personality to the next level. This is the best film for Sivakarthikeyan as far as his outfits go, by a mile. As a cop Mathimaran, he oozes honesty and delivers his lines with commanding authority thanks to Pattukottai Prabhakaran's dialogues.

Sivakarthikeyan's mannerisms and idiosyncrasies match Rajinikanth's at many scenes and you can help but think of Vijay in a lot of frames, especially in song and dance sequences. Sri Divya has delivered yet another beautiful performance and makes her chemistry sound so enchanting with cute expressions throughout the film.

Prabhu's dialogue in a scene where he talks about the life of a cop warrants mention. Imman Annachi, Kalpana have done adequate justice to their roles. However, the role that matters the most, the antagonist Vijay Raaz is a big let down in this cop flick. 

Plus

The film is major positive is its stellar technical team comprising music director Anirudh Ravichander, cameraman Mynaa Sugumar, dialogue writer Pattukottai Prabhakar. Anirudh has been evolving as a composer from musician with a range of compelling scores for diverse emotions in the film. His background score for a rain fight in the first half is commendable. Pattukottai Prabhakar's dialogues are simple and straight forward sans any over-the-top lines. Sugumar excels with his eye-candy frames in exotic locations for the song shoot. 

Minus

The sole let down of this masala entertainer is director Durai Senthilkumar, who has apparently thought that a cop film with comical elements here and there is suffice to appease the audience. He was mighty wrong. His screenplay is old-fashioned and stale. The narration suffers from seriousness which the lead character excels in. These shortcomings have made the film a regular affair. 

Bottomline

Kaaki Sattai is a usual, cliched commercial entertainer with an outdated screenplay but thanks to its occasionally enjoyable comic scenes, it doesn't end up outright banal and boring.

Verdict : Old wine in a new bottle

Stars : 2.5/5