Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal Episodes 1 to 4 review: The coming-of-age drama kicks off in a partly engaging manner

2.5/5

Story: Students of a matriculation higher secondary school return to class after a brief hiatus owing to the lockdown. They realize that many things, including their classmates have changed, during the lockdown period. This change creates a rift between students of the same class. Meanwhile, the school management faces a big challenge which upsets both the staff members and students.  

Review: The series Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal which was telecast in a popular Tamil television channel almost 15 years ago was a trendsetter in every way. It has now been made in a new format featuring new artists and technicians. Though the storyline remains almost the same, the backdrop and certain situations have changed.

Directed by Chidambaram Manivannan, the makers are dropping four episodes every Friday each with a duration of a little more than 30 minutes. The first season of the series is considered as a nostalgic ride for many and the challenge for the makers of the new season is to match the output of the first season.  

Back to School

The first episode introduces all students of the Siragugal Matriculation Higher Secondary School. Everyone's background is showcased with ample attention given to their characteristics. Among all, Kalai (Aravind Seiju) gets the meaty role. He joins the school after experiencing an unpleasant past which involves a crime.

However, his past is hidden from his classmates and he is working on anger management issues which has been bothering him for a while. Though the episode has adequate moments to hold the interest of viewers, lip sync issues in a few scenes curtail its overall impact.

First Warning

The school correspondent, a do-gooder and a man with a golden heart, gets the shock of his life when he learns that the government has plans to close the school down owing to low strength. He starts thinking of different ways to ensure that the functioning of school doesn't get affected.

Enters Nandini (Teja Venkatesh), another important character of the series. Though the school principal expresses disinterest in providing admission to her, citing her low marks in English, the correspondent helps her to obtain a seat in the school.

The Challenge

The conflicts between various characters are showcased even as staff members and school management discuss the government's proposed action against the school. Nandini, who suffers from a complex over her lack of fluency in English, develops a bond with Haritha (Deepika).

The rift between new students and old students widens and the two groups start indulging in open challenges inside and outside the classroom. Kalai, who goes through various mental struggles, is appointed as the assistant leader of the class. This irks the old students even more, and they plan to harm Kalai in different ways.  

To New Beginnings

Kalai makes sincere attempts to minimize the friction between two groups and even goes a step further by initiating a talk with the prominent member of the old students' group, but in vain. Meanwhile, he tries to secure a part-time job as well to occupy himself completely.

Teja and Aravind come up with notable performances, while Vazhakku En fame Muthuraman and VJ Sangeetha make their presence felt in a few scenes. Sathya Venkataraman's cinematography is pleasant and Kiran's background music elevates some of the situations.  

However, the wow moments one expects in a coming-of-age drama is clearly missing in all the four episodes. But it is too early to write off the series. With the plot expected to get thicker in the coming episodes, fans of the series have their fingers crossed.

Verdict: The first four episodes are okayish with nothing much to complain about, except for the fact that there aren't any impactful scenes.

Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.