Kootathil Oruthan Review
Star Cast : Ashok Selvan, Priya Anand, Samuthirakani
Director : Gnanavel
Kootathil Oruthan by debutant director Gnanavel follows the routine template of how love kindles the fire inside an ordinary man to achieve extraordinary things in life. It is a charming little film built on good intentions but is weighed down by the docu-feel in the last twenty minutes, where the director has conveyed a socially relevant message.
All through his life, Arvind (Ashok Selvan) is Mr. Average that his own friends and family doesn't really celebrate him. Our hero starts feeling lonely despite having a lot of people around him. Right from his childhood, Arvind has the habit of helping people and he is a socially responsible person, which fetches him the first appreciation from Janani (Priya Anand).
Smitten by Janani's talent, clarity of thoughts and bold nature, Arvind joins the same college to study journalism where she wishes to study. When Janani notices that Arvind is following her she warns him and asks him to first achieve something in life, because there is nothing in him that she's impressed of!
A dejected, frustrated Aravindh tries to commit suicide but accidentally, saves the life of a local gangster Sathya's(Samuthirakani) son. In return, Sathya wants to help Arvind to come out of his inferiority complex and all of a sudden, the latter becomes a hero in college through the viral video of him saving the boy. Sathya's thugs threaten Arvind's HOD and manages to bag the prestigious foreign scholarship, which impresses Janani.
Arvind's life slowly changes until a staged drama of Sathya causes danger to Janani's life. Now Arvind wants to tell Janani all the truth but there comes the twist in the form of a phone call!
Kootathil Oruthan is easily the best performance of Ashok Selvan, his nerd look and innocent mannerisms are a big advantage to the film. Priya Anand has got a strong role, which is very much similar to her role in the big hit Ethir Neechal and she has done a good job. Samuthirakani once again shines in a pivotal role and Bala Saravanan's timing comic one liners work at times.
The first half of the film is generic with family establishments, campus comedy, romance but gains tempo towards the interval. The second half, especially the last twenty minutes create a strong impact though the climax and docu-feel nature are an issue. The end credits idea with real life achievers, whose victory goes unnoticed is thought provoking and will definitely move audiences.
Technically, Nivas Prasanna has done wonders with his background score in emotional sequences and all the songs especially the melodious Nee Indri is the pick. Leo John Paul's idea of limiting the run time to 120 minutes is an added advantage and PK Varma's visuals are quite impressive.
To conclude, Kootathil Oruthan is a neat feel-good entertainer with a noble message.
