Deekay’s Kavalai Vendam is aimless, just like its protagonist. Arvind (Jiiva, in one of those puerile roles Saif Ali Khan made his career with) is an emotionally stunted 30-something who supposedly works as a chef. Mostly, he’s drunk. Lest he grow up a little, Deekay gives him friends like RJ Balaji and Balasaravanan – unemployed youth whose main job is making what passes as jokes in the film. RJ Balaji, Balasaravanan, and Jiiva spend their screen time in the usual way – mocking women, people with disabilities, and displaying that humourous thing called insensitivity. It’s all in good fun, after all.
The attention of all this male testosterone is bestowed on three women specifically, and a sorrier group one could not have found.
Kajal Aggarwal plays Divya, an immature, flighty woman with a shrill voice. If ever proof was needed that directors who have no clue about women exist, then here it is. Throughout, Divya, Deepa (a miscast Sunaina), and Shilpa are mannequins brought to life. They certainly dress well. Beyond that, their thoughts rarely extend to anything meaningful. They exist as tools for male pleasure.
The film’s plot, if one must call it that, revolves around Divya’s desire to divorce Arvind. Their ‘Hot N Cold’ romance fizzles after marriage and Divya walks out. Years later, she returns to ask for a divorce.
Her reappearance shakes things up in sleepy Coonoor. Arvind’s new friend Deepa squares up to fight for her man-child. Arjun (Bobby Simhaa) faces off against Arvind just so he can have the other moron (Divya) in this film. By this point, the audience knows that neither is worth this much trouble. But the ticket prices in Bangalore are high enough to banish the thought of leaving halfway.
***
Deekay’s Yaamirukka Bayamey was a blatant rip-off of the Korean movie The Quiet Family. It was a surprise hit in 2014, and gave Deekay a chance to direct another film for Elred Kumar’s RS Infotainment.
Recommended
From the haphazard and ill-conceived scenes that play out on screen, Kavalai Vendam is clearly Deekay’s attempt at an original screenplay. But even the basic plot is not original, having been done to death in countless Hollywood films. Leon James’ music is pleasant enough, but not sufficiently distracting to save anyone from the cacophony that unfolds onscreen.
Deekay populates his film with pervy, brainless characters, below-the-belt humour and a bath as soon as possible is highly recommended. Overall, Kavalai Vendam, in keeping with its title, doesn’t bother too much with the main plot.
At best, the film is a string of in-film advertisements strung along with scatological gags.
At worst, the movie has one desperately begging for a lobotomy. If only to forget the sight of Jiiva and RJ Balaji in their boxers, ready to unleash…well, never mind.
*****
The Kavalai Vendam 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.