REVIEW
 
Vijay Milton came under severe criticism for his previous movie 10 Endrathukulla after making a brilliant debut with Goli Soda. He had disappointed the audience and critics big time. The director has now returned with his new venture Kadugu, which has won the appreciation of critics.
 
The makers of Kadugu recently had a special screening for critics and celebrities. The people, who have already seen the movie, are in awe of the fantastic content and stellar performances of the cast.
 
Kadugu has Bharath, Rajakumaran, Bharath Seeni, Subiksha and others in the cast. The film has music by SN Arunagiri and Anoop Seelin. Vijay Milton himself has taken responsibility of the cinematography department, while JR John Abraham has edited the flick.
 
STORY
 
Kadugu movie tells the story of an ordinary man and innocent man Pandi(Rajakumaran) who is Puli Vesham artist. He feels happy when he helps people around him. In one of his Puli Vesham programs, a  problem breaks out during which he become friend with local inspector (Venkatesh) and day-by-day help in solving the missions. As the inspector gets transferred to a small coastal town Tharangambadi, Puli also accompanies him. When the officer is transferred to Tarangambadi, Paandi too accompanies him where he befriends Anirudh (Bharat Seeni). Nambi (Bharath) is an influential boxer and budding name in politics in the town.  One day, state minister visits a function which is organised by Nambi, he tries to molest a young girl. Nambi who has political ambitions brushes aside the issue and plays it down. However, Puli Paandi along with a school teacher Ebby (Radhika Prasidhha) fights for justice after a political personality molests a girl at an event. What follows the crux of the film.
 
PERFORMANCE

Kadugu’s biggest strength is solid characterizations; especially the not so good looking Rajakumaran is beautifully portrayed as a guy with inherent goodness in him. Bharat as the guy with shades of grey is well etched by the director.
 
The other two interesting characters are Radhika Prasidhha, the teacher who faced similar appalling incident as the little girl in her childhood and Bharath Seeni, who struggles to convey his love and gives her space to the girl.
 
The scene where the old woman, who always compels Bharath to eat, falls down after knowing the wicked side of her grandson, saying that all these days, the food she made has only gone waste is nothing but a solid example of smart writing!
 
With a script that strikes a fine balance between being a character-driven one and a plot-driven one, Milton ensures that Kadugu remains interesting even when things start to get predictable. The sharp dialogues strike a chord with us despite being a bit moralistic. Visually, Milton, who is also the film’s cinematographer, captures the coastal beauty of Tharangambadi handsomely.
 
The build up to project Rajakumaran as an angel in human form is equal to that of commercial directors doing it for mass heroes. The 2D animation used when Radhika narrates her tragic past drains it of emotions. All the scenes are contrived and long drawn out which induce fatigue in the viewer.
 
Vijay Milton proves his mettle as a cinematographer transporting the viewers into Tarangambadi while the editor John Abraham has done the best he could with the never ending scene footage. Nothing to write home about the music and background by Arunagiri and Anoop Selin. Stunt master Supreme Sundar deserves special mention for the climax fight and the way he has extracted work from Rajakumaran.
 
PLUS
 
Story
Star Cast Performance
 
MINUS
 
Music
Easily Predictable Screenplay

Verdict : You Need Patience To Watch This Good Attempt!

Stars : 2.5/5