Movie Review: Baana Kaathadi (2010)

Baana Kaathadi – Clichéd plot, amateurish narration

Banner: Sathya Jyothi Films

Production: Senthil Thyagarajan, T. Arjun

Direction: Badri Venkatesh

Star-casts: Atharva, Samantha, Prasanna, Karunaas, Monica, Manobala and others

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Cinematography: Richard Maria Nathan

Editing: Suresh Urs

Verdict: Not an interesting film

Rating: 2/5

August 7, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Many promising films have been churned from the mill of Sathya Jyothi Films. Perhaps, the success graph of this studio kept everyone expecting a lot from Baana Kaathadi. The promotions were good enough to create a buzz prior to the release of the movie. Unfortunately, the film fails to live up to our expectations due to its tedious script with the screenplay that is so trite and banal. Badri Venkatesh beats the same bush that in no way makes Baana Kaathadi an exceptional romantic tale.

Centered on the locales of the housing board in Northern Chennai, the film revolves around Ramesh (Atharva), an avid kite flyer. His insatiable enthusiasm for flying kites splendidly leaves him over the top of this game. He comes across Priya (Samantha), who changes his course of life with her abounding affection. Some misunderstandings drift them apart before they realize their love for each other. But then, fate has other plans for them.

Newcomer Atharva seems to have undergone a perfect training as he exhibits the traits of a good actor. This doesn’t look like his debut film as he emotes absolutely to the situations with casualness. Samantha looks bright, cherubic and energetic. Possibly, she’s sure to make bigger on charts. Prasanna as a roughneck gangster surprises with his performance. Kudos to him for choosing such an exceptional role and prodigious performance indeed! After a very long time, Karunaas tries evoking laughter in hilarious role and his encounters with T.P. Gajendran are rib-tickling. Monica as Atharva’s mother does a great job.

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music bashes down our hopes as the songs are below average. None of them sounds good and even the background score is mediocre. Richard Maria Nathan’s cinematography is simply superb. He deserves special appreciation for his innovative placement of angles, especially in the stunt sequences. Editing by Suresh Urs could have been better. A few dialogues are really noteworthy while some others are timeworn liners.

Badri Venkatesh hasn’t showcased anything pertaining to the Kites Festival. Except the factor that the film’s protagonist is a kite flyer, there’s nothing special about it. With a running length of 150mins, audiences lose their patience and turn restless post-intermission.

The unexpected shock during the climax is completely unwanted. Perhaps, a better ending would have at least made this film a passable show.

– Richarad Mahesh/Sampurn Wire