Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai Movie Review: Lijomol Jose, Rohini anchor a poignant coming-out tale of allies

The 108-minute film takes a solid 30 minutes to build up to a scene that almost everyone in the audience knows is coming. This isn’t the sort of film that you would go watch without knowing what the film is about. It is a love story between two women — Sam (Lijomol Jose) and Nandhini (Anusha Prabhu) — and how the world around them comes to terms with their sexuality. Of course, there is a bigger question if the world should be bothered by their sexuality at all. But we will get there as a society later. The first 30 minutes of the film wonderfully sets up Sam, her mother Lakshmi (Rohini), their maid Mary (Deepa, in a beautifully dignified role), and the house which plays a nice part too.

So, Lakshmi is waiting for Sam to introduce the love of her life. She is this liberal mother who doesn’t even ask the name, the caste, the status, and the religion of the person her daughter is planning to bring home. But what happens when the person she brings home is a woman. How will she react to it all? The various kinds of reactions to Sam and Nandhini form the base of the rest of the runtime.

Interestingly, Jayaprakash isn’t too focussed on their love story, although, it is one of the most wonderful portrayals of love onscreen. We see Sam getting attracted to Nandhini because of her ability to be carefree in a world that is constantly judging everyone. We see how solidarity turns into attraction, and attraction turns into a need for intimacy, and a need for intimacy turns into love. It is beautiful, organic, playful, and most importantly, all of it feels normal. There are no big announcements proclaiming that the film is pushing the envelope or trying to rattle the ecosystem. In fact, the normalisation of a lesbian romance makes the statement all the more powerful.

Of course, Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai is about queer romance, but this love is discussed among four other interesting characters. There is Lakshmi, her ex-husband Devaraj (a brilliant Vineeth) who has remarried someone else, Ravindra (a genial and wonderful Kalesh), who fell in love with Sam before knowing her sexual orientation, and fell in friendship with her after, and Mary. Once the ‘secret’ is out, atleast two of these characters are constantly conversing about Sam and Nandhini’s love, and their understanding of the same. Points to Jayaprakash for not painting any of them into extreme characters. In fact, he shows tremendous empathy for Lakshmi, and Devaraj, who were suddenly made to come to terms with their daughter’s sexuality. Lakshmi lashes out with a lot of ferocity, and Devaraj is the one who reins her in. But he is the one who is convinced that her sexuality is just a phase. There is a brilliant conversation between Devaraj and Ravindra, which explores the idea of being an ally, and how it isn’t as easy as people perceive it to be.

Vineeth, Deepa, and Kalesh play pivotal roles in Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai

The dialogues are terrific in Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai because they are not grandiose statements. It is rather subtle, and ones that are said in a very conversational way between family members. Of course, there are a few exceptions, but that is par for the course in a film that is aimed at initiating an important conversation. It is also beautiful how intersectional the conversations are, especially a nonchalant line about a lesbian couple in Mary’s neighbourhood. It also turns the concept of gossip-mongering on its head. These conversations point out how the queer community doesn’t really have to answer every question irrespective of its intent. When Mary asks Sam and Nandhini about who will be the husband and wife in their relationship, the tone and words are in complete contrast to the silence and stares when Devaraj asks something similar. There is a terrific scene featuring Mary and Lakshmi that underscores the dignity given to both the characters, and the silent rebellion of the oppressed. And there is one featuring Ravindra coming to terms with his own love, and the slight light at the end of a dark tunnel. These scenes are reflections of how easy it can be to support something that we don’t understand. These scenes are also a reflection of how tough it can be to support something that we don’t want to understand.

Probably why, certain missteps in Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai feel out of place. For instance, the entire flashback scene for Nandhini feels like preaching to the choir. Of course, there is a lot of sensitivity and sensibility in showcasing that scene, and it is bolstered by Anusha’s compelling acting, but the scene overstays its welcome, and it is one of the more generic scenes in a film that feels much more elevated. Similarly, there are a few scenes in the film that needed a sense of breathing space for the heavy dialogues to settle in, and the performances to register. This was more pronounced in the final few minutes where there isn’t enough time given to come to terms with a momentous realisation.

Interestingly, even while being a film scoring heavily on content, Jayaprakash ensures it looks and feels like compelling cinema too. The film is aesthetically pleasing, and despite being set in a single location for most of its runtime, the visuals are on point. Sree Saravanan’s frames are expansive and uses natural light to enhance the film, and the editing of Dani Charles ensures we never feel the pinch of repetitive conversations and limited locations.

What truly anchors the film is the performance of Rohini, who plays a character that is conflicted not just with the feelings of her daughter, but also her own feelings. Should she call her ex-husband home to deal with this? What would her maid think of her, especially since she is an online motivational speaker? The writing doesn’t vilify her at any moment. Soon after insulting her daughter’s love, she is holding an umbrella to protect her from rain. Soon after beating her up out of frustration, she cries about the lack of freedom about her own physical needs. Lakshmi is a beautiful character because she is complex, like all of us.

Similarly, a terrific Kalesh plays the good-hearted but confused Ravindra who is caught in the crosshairs of a family drama. He is a beautiful character because he is complex, like all of us. Then, we have the consistent Vineeth play an absent father who has a secret. He is manipulative, he is coercive, he gaslights, and he protects. He is the first one to stop Lakshmi from beating Sam, and towards the end, he delivers one of the finest dialogues of the film, which is a complex one because it is as deep as it is farcical, and as true as it is a copout.

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Anusha and Lijomol play lovers in Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan’s Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai

With wonderful turns by Lijomol who is equal parts vulnerable and defiant, and Anusha Prabhu, who is equal parts empathetic and disgruntled, Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai operates on the belief that love will always find a way. But as the credits roll, it ends up asking a rather simple but profound question… Why do people love to stop their loved ones from loving other people?

Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai Movie Cast: Lijomol Jose, Rohini, Vineeth, Anusha Prabhu, Kalesh

Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai Movie Director: Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan

Kadhal Enbadhu Podhu Udamai Movie Rating: 3.5