Kudumbasthan movie review: Manikandan anchors this funny and familiar tale that needed a firmer grasp on things

But what really triggers the emotional core of Kudumbasthan? It is Naveen not wanting to compromise on his self-respect and integrity. In contrast, he is at loggerheads with his brother-in-law Rajendran (an on-point Guru Somasundaram, who deserved better), who believes the world can be conquered only by compromising and keeping ego aside when required. This could have been a wonderful exploration of how the middle class finds ways to keep up their self-respect even when trying their best to make ends meet. But the makers treat this more like an one-upmanship game between Naveen and Rajendran, and conjure up situations that are perfect as standalone scenes, but hardly act as a cohesive film. That is the biggest problem of Kudumbasthan. The sketches are laugh-out-loud funny, but the sum of the parts are not greater than the whole.

Burdened by one problem after another, Naveen is forced to sell his car, take money from multiple loan sharks, start his own business, face insurmountable challenges, take care of his pregnant wife, fulfill his mother’s ambition, his father’s aspiration, his friends’ struggles, and in between all this, understand what he truly needs in his life. Now, this is told in a rather humourous way, and for most parts of this journey, Rajeshwar and his team get things right. The gags are hilarious, and the payoffs even better. For instance, the whole rooster sequence that showcased Manikandan’s penchant for physical humour was brilliant. Every time, he takes a break inside his bathroom, the only place where he has an outlet for his inner voice, the scenes play out wonderfully. The call back for this solitary respite inside a bathroom, which happens in another scene in the final act, does seem poignant, but it doesn’t work well with the narrative.

This happens many a time in the last act where the makers give themselves a free rein to go crazy. However, most of the happenings feel rushed because Rajeshwar and Co just want to hit us with laugh-a-minute gags. Unfortunately, the premise of the movie is such that it needed its fair share of breathing space, which it never gets. The film drowns under its own weight of not being able to look past the makers’ strength in creating relatable sketches. Even though the gags and characters, especially the group of good-for-nothing drunkards, overstay their welcome, they are a riot when things go right. The same holds good for Sundarrajan and Kudassanad Kanakam, who play the parents of Manikandan. Despite their rather obnoxious characters, their convincing performances work till the very end. But they are flawed characters, whose flaws are so glaring, and it is almost grating to not see a redemption in sight. They are not new characters either. We have seen them in films like Middle Class Madhavan, and scores of Visu films of 80s. But those movies had a firm grasp on the emotional core, but that is where Kudumbasthan slips.

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Yes, the struggles of a middle class man trying to make ends meet, keep his head held up high, and hold his honour close to his heart, is very relatable, and Manikandan does an excellent job of showcasing the same. But Kudumbasthan gets to this point in a rather convoluted way that it doesn’t have the same impact. Now, beneath all the laughs, the smiles, the social commentary, the quirky but effective music by Vaisagh, and the convincing performances, Kudumbasthan reminded us about how it’s all about loving the family, and all about loving the parents, even if it means foregoing the idea of the self. At that point, Kudumbasthan wasn’t a comedy film that meanders… it became a horror film that hits the target effectively.

Kudumbasthan Movie Director: Rajeshwar Kalisamy
Kudumbasthan Movie Cast: Manikandan, Saanve Meghana, Guru Somasundaram, Sundarrajan, Kudassanad Kanakam, Nivethitha Rajappan
Kudumbasthan Movie Rating: 3 stars