Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal movie review: A slipshod romcom that tests your patience

1.5/5

Story: Kanmani (Nayanthara) and Khatija (Samantha) fall in love with Rambo (Vijay Sethupathi). Rambo wants to marry both of them. In the end, what will happen? Vignesh Shivn tries to tell how Rambo navigates this love triangle.

Review: On paper, the union of Nayanthara, Samantha and Vijay Sethupathi, for the first time, sounds like masala heaven. But, in reality, it is a colossal mess. The writing is shockingly scattershot, right from the scene Vignesh Shivn establishes the character of Vijay Sethupathi, Rambo. But, the good thing is that the filmmaker is in no hurry to stage it.

How best do I describe Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal? There's a shot in which Rambo mixes the two beverages (tea and coffee), and drinks it. How it would have tasted, you may ask? Weird, right? That's how I felt watching the film.

Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal attempts to explore the concept of polyamory (having multiple love relationships). The film, which opens with a reality show, takes us to a flashback story of Rambo that is so uninventive that we get annoyed. A bunch of family members remain single because of a curse. Rambo belongs to the same family. He considers himself "unlucky" because he's made to feel so, by others. Rambo's father collapsed on the day he was born. His mother's body becomes paralysed.

Cut to what Rambo does for a living. In the mornings, he's a cab driver. At night, he works as a bouncer in a local bar. Rambo does two jobs, romances two people, likes (both) idli and dosa, loves (both) Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. (By now, you may hum two-two-two song already!) In short, Rambo is indecisive, and can't make up his mind about his choices. It is not only Rambo, who's that way, but also Vignesh Shivn; his style of making, the writing, characters, and the execution.

Everything about Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal is inconclusive and bizarre. Rambo has no charm or appeal. We wonder how two gorgeous ladies fall for him. He deceives Kanmani and Khatija at the same time. To him, they aren't different people, but one. Sounds, confusing, right? As Kanmani rightly points out in a crucial scene, referring to Vijay Sethupathi's character, "Yedhayo solli kadaisila confuse pannidraan"— that's what I thought about Vignesh Shivn, too. He neither had a solid story nor a screenplay but wanted to make an entertaining film. There's no rhythm to the proceedings, no continuity. It is hard to classify this underwhelming film because Vignesh himself isn’t sure what he’s making. What we get is an absurd and aimless rom-com that ends up caricaturing the concept of the genre in the bargain.

A film that begins with no story naturally ends with no story. Vignesh Shivn puts in extra effort to hint at Vijay Sethupathi's next film, alongside Katrina Kaif, during the climax. It reads random; I know. Likewise, the film, in itself, is proportionately random. For someone (Vignesh Shivn) who has this level of "story connect", his (own) backstory (film) is weakly sketched.

The use of "Dissociative identity disorder" in the film calls for a separate discussion.

The film works in parts when Rambo and Kanmani are hanging out together. Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal is a pretentious romcom. And, it is impossible to figure out why they are into each other or whether they are into each other at all. The misplaced priorities in the screenplay are entirely to blame. In several instances, various characters wonder aloud what they seem to be echoing the audience's thoughts, though not really in the same tone. ("Counter paithyam", "emotional manipulation", "edhayo onnu pannittu, edhayo onnu pesittu irukka!")

Verdict: Kanmani often says, "Nandri, vanakkam". That's my response, as well, if you ask if I'd recommend you to watch Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal.