The promos of Kodi may have had that complete mass appeal to its credit, but when it comes to the cinema it is a little more sensible and sensitive. If you are expecting another Velai Illa Pattadhari from Dhanush, Kodi’s aim might disappoint you. Conveying a relevant subject of greedy political rivalry with all filmyness, Kodi produced by Vetrimaran and directed by RS Durai Senthilkumar impressed me.
Kodi and Anpu are twins. Their father was speech impaired and his political affiliation had influence on Kodi and he gradually went on to become a political leader. The relatively shy Anpu became a college professor. Kodi’s lover BTW was from the opposition party and they were moving on smoothly with their relationship until a by election happened in their constituency. Kodi focuses mainly on the foul plays and smartness that happens during that election and also the subsequent things in the life of each individual.
Yes, it has an intro song and it has typical hero worshipping fights to pep up the tempo. But beyond those commercial cinema fragrances, there is a more widespread well etched out story to Kodi’s credit which isn’t entirely hero centric. From the antagonist to hero’s close friend there is a purpose and a solid backdrop to most of the characters. Even the less significant parallel love track involving Anupama Parameswaran’s Mutta Malathi isn’t wasted as the characters introduced through that part crosses path in significant areas of the story. And Kodi finds its massy getup through some of the interesting interpretation of twin life. The foul plays and political movements look less exaggerated when you look at it as a commercial movie.
Dhanush is definitely the star here for the way he portrayed Kodi and Anpu with two extremely different attitudes. Anpu has the sweetness and innocence and Kodi is this short tempered guy with a roughness in attitude. Trisha has done a neat job and if she could have graced the speeches in a more delightful way, it would have been a plus. A special mention to the impressive performance of Kaali Venkat. Anupama Parameswaran was nice. The official supportive mother of Kollywood, Saranya Ponvannan was also pretty good.
RS Durai Senthilkumar who earlier made films like Kaaki Sattai and Ethir Neechal, this time has got a more gripping story to his credit. The kind of depth and political feel it has is the primary reason for the good impression it was able to create. Each character in the screenplay is worth remembering and the commercial compromises are relatively less (it is there). Visuals were good and I have to say they have done a terrific job with the visual effects of all the double role shots. I loved the Kodi track more than the other songs which sounded too typical. Cuts were also nice.
On the whole Kodi may have the look and feel of an ordinary revenge drama, but the story and agenda it has and the lesser compromise it has done on character detailing makes it an appealing cinema rather than a usual dance, romance and action package.
Rating: 3/5
The story and agenda Kodi has and the lesser compromise it has done on character detailing makes it an appealing cinema.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
