Kattappava Kaanom Review – Starring Sibiraj & Aishwarya Rajesh. Directed by Mani Seiyon.
Aishwarya Rajesh is intense. Powerful roles suit her. They don’t really bring out the colour in her eyes, but boy, she thrives. She owns the role in which she emotes – especially if the film is all about her. With a script like Kaaka Muttai, which is as much about the children’s mother as it is about the children themselves, Aishwarya was admirable as the frustrated mother who couldn’t provide for her kids. Frustrated, protective, kind. It was a delight to watch her, and her tough love that the sons never tired of.
In Kattappava Kaanom, she eclipses Sibiraj, who just doesn’t have that nasal edge to his voice that his father had and used so brilliantly. That was Sathyaraj’s USP. In hindsight, almost every hero of the ’80s and ’90s had a distinguishable voice. Kamal, Rajini, Sathyaraj, Vijayakanth, Karthik – even Visu.
Visu was inimitable.
Now though, I cannot tell Sibiraj from Siva Karthikeyan.
That I cannot recall Sibi’s voice right after watching Kattappavan Kanom – in which he plays husband to Aishwarya Rajesh – is a tragedy. Not that he keeps to himself, but Aishwarya as Meena overshadows him – in a role that doesn’t do much for her.
She makes me laugh, though. When Pandian’s (Sibiraj) astrologer father frowns at her birth chart, and declares that the name of his son’s bride would begin with the alphabet ‘C’ – Meena, without batting an eyelid, says he’s free to call her ‘Chilk’ Meena.
***
That aside, Kattappava Kaanom is pretty boring for a movie about a fish called Kattappa (mostly computer-generated imagery). Sibiraj’s only claim to fame – Naaigal Jaakirathai – at least had a tangible presence on screen.
A live dog.
When Kattappava Kaanom begins, there’s a shot of those daily astrological predictions on TV. Tuned into the programme is none other than the astrologer himself, who is enjoying the sight of his pretty self announcing the forecast. That’s probably the most memorable instance in Kattappava Kaanom. That, and a couple of scenes featuring Aishwarya Rajesh.
The plot just doesn’t inspire interest. Any interest. A few scenes lazily slapped together to try and recreate the magic of Naaigal Jaakirathai. Why would I care about a missing fish – and a little girl who thinks it lucky – really? From that perspective, director Vijay’s Saivam – even though it expounded on teary, family sentiments, the Suryavamsam of the 2010s – did something right. It brought to heart the love the little girl had for the rooster.
Here though, the owner is creepily attached to the fish – probably meant as a comic routine, in the director’s defense. He even kisses it goodbye over his wife’s head.
***
Recommended
Other than that, what the movie has is a well of boyhood fantasies – ending in double-entendres. And a story that is so contrived that beyond the first few moments, there’s nothing of note in the script. Much like Finding Dory, which had a likeable fish even adults could warm up to, but was otherwise only tolerable – and left behind fidgety children in 3D glasses.
Needless to say, Kattappava Kaanom is definitely not one for children.
*****
The Kattappava Kaanom review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the movie. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.