Poikkal Kuthirai movie review: Prabhu Deva single-handedly elevates this watchable thriller

3/5

Story: A physically-challenged father gets the shock of his life after knowing that his daughter's life is in danger and that he needs to earn a huge sum in order to ensure she undergoes a heart operation. He hatches a plan to kidnap a girl from a well-off family for ransom, but his execution falters after which he comes up with a different idea. However, little did he know that his new plans would turn out to be futile because of an unknown person. How is he going to save his daughter?

Review: Santhosh P Jayakumar's Poikkal Kuthirai wastes no time getting to the plot. It revolves around father-daughter bonding. The former, Kathiravan (Prabhu Deva), who lost his wife and a leg in an accident is keen on providing a happy life to his daughter, but the latter wants him to seek the help of a prosthetic leg.  

The director unnecessarily places the mandatory hero intro song with a dance sequence towards the beginning of the movie, but it never tests your patience as it appears just before the story begins to take off. Moreover, it is always a joy to watch Prabhu shaking a leg to peppy songs.

Kathiravan gets the shock of his life after knowing that his daughter has a worrying health condition which needs immediate surgery. After an unsuccessful attempt in earning money for the heart operation, the dejected father resorts to an illegal plan. He decides to kidnap the daughter of Rudra (Varalaxmi) and Deva (John Kokken), a well-off couple for ransom.

But Kathiravan gets it all wrong again. His plans tumble like a house of cards leaving him furious and helpless. With only a few days left for his daughter's surgery, he looks clueless. 

The film which begins as a done-to-death emotional drama involving a father-daughter bonding gains momentum after the protagonist decides to indulge in a crime. The manner in which a couple of pivotal characters are introduced complements the convincing deviation in the narration.

Prabhu Deva's Kathiravan comes across as a regular father character in the beginning with little novelty in the character arc. But as the story progresses, the character's actions become engaging and make the audience glued to their seats. His performance as the desperate father is engaging, thanks to his involvement in emotional scenes. 

The roles played by Varalaxmi and John are also fleshed out properly which helps us invest in their problems and the intriguing proceedings. The likes of Prakash Raj and Raiza Wilson do not have much to do, while Jagan manages to register his presence.

What works majorly in the film is the ample twists and turns that are revealed at regular intervals. Though the surprise element goes slightly overboard after a point, it smartly addresses some of the unanswered questions and covers up logical loopholes to an extent.

On the downside, the director has depended too much on twists and turns instead of developing a cohesive screenplay and organic flow of events. Some of the scenes and its staging appear loud. The inconsistent background score is underwhelming while the songs and other technical departments are okayish. Dinesh Kasi's action choreography impresses in parts.  

Verdict:  Poikkal Kuthirai is a one-time watch thriller with some engaging sequences. The performances of a few actors and unpredictable story progression make up for the flaws.