PremiumKudimahaan Review: This comedy caper has an ingenious premise, but is funny only in parts
This comedy caper with a crafty premise narrowly misses the mark, courtesy the outdated inane humour
Last Updated: 09.51 PM, Jun 09, 2023
Story: A teetotaller, who works at an ATM replenishment agency gets into trouble after he accidentally mixes up the currency notes in an 'inebriated' condition. Will he be able to get out of the mess?
Review: Director Prakash N's Kudimahaan is a kind of film that could have been hysterically funny had the makers not force-fitted instances trying to evoke laughter in every single frame. It's here that the film with an ingenious story narrowly misses the mark.
Kudimahaan is billed as a comedy caper, and the film does have many light-hearted moments. The plot revolves around Mathi (Vijay Sivan), who works at an agency that replenishes ATMs. His doting family comprises his wife (Chandini Tamilarasan), his two children and his alcoholic father (Suresh Chakravarthi). Mathi is a complete teetotaller, but craves junk food.
All is well until one day he begins to behave like an intoxicated person despite not having consumed alcohol. In the 'inebriated' condition, he accidentally mixes up currency notes in the ATM, which leads to utmost chaos. How he gets out of the mess forms the rest of the plot.
Prakash N's film has an interesting premise and Vijay Shivan is earnest as a middle class man struggling to make his ends meet who later becomes an alcoholic of sorts. He steals the show in the scenes where he behaves like an intoxicated person, especially in the hospital where he imagines things. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the film lies on his shoulders and he carries it off well.
Chandini doesn't have much to contribute to the goings-on other than playing a nagging wife. While Suresh Chakravarthi's jokes and body language work to an extent, they fall flat from time to time. The film gets into the thick of action when Vijay Shivan joins hands with Namo Narayanan, Honest Raj, and Kathiravan. There is a lot of mayhem in the second half and one scene effortlessly segues into another.
While Kudimahaan works as a whole package, there are many instances that don't evoke any laughter. If filmmakers still believe that toilet humour, body shaming and portraying crossdressing in a funny manner, can make people crease up, then they are thoroughly mistaken. Prakash N's Kudimahaan is rife with such jokes that are intended to be funny, but they raise a few eyebrows after a point of time. These puerile jokes relegate the film, which had an amazing potential, to a one-time watch.
Verdict: Director Prakash N's Kudimahaan has an interesting premise, but force-fitted puerile humour relegates the film to a one-time watch despite the earnest performances led by Vijay Shivan.