Kaaka Muttai: This Egg Comes First
Kaaka Muttai is that rare film which makes you laugh, cry, and introspect all at the same time. A story about poverty, a story about the dreams of the poor, can so easily sink into the maudlin and end up in a predictable puddle of sorts. There have been way too many Tamil films that ennoble the poor conveniently and project the elite as villainous straw people who are set up only to be tilted in the narrative. This oversimplification only goes to dehumanize the poor and the rich alike.
But instead, first-time director M.Manikandan has given us a film that's remarkably restrained in its storytelling, trusting the intelligence of the audience to understand the complex social dynamics that he has chosen to portray. The story is about two slum-dwelling brothers (Vignesh and Ramesh) who want to eat a pizza. But what does it take to eat one? Many years ago, we rooted for Harold and Kumar as they went chasing a burger in a country far away. While Harold & Kumar Go to Whitecastle is a stoner movie replete with hallucinations, Kaaka Muttai has nothing but stark reality on offer. However, in both cases, the food that the protagonists covet symbolize more than just a healthy appetite...they stand for aspiration, the underdog's will to go against all odds to succeed.
The faces you see in Kaaka Muttai are not in the least glamorous. The adorable ayah of the children isn't peach-skinned or dressed in expensive cotton sarees. And yet, in spite of her bad teeth and casual swearing, you really want to plant a kiss on her cheek for her chutzpah. The mother isn't an all sacrificing devadhai, she even laughs when her kids mouth vulgar dialogues from their favourite star's film. The kids aren't cutesy rosy-cheeked innocents...they steal coal from godowns, snatch cellphones from unsuspecting people, and aren't above bullying each other. And this is the film's greatest strength. The willingness to allow its characters to be who they are without apology, without the need to dress up or disguise in order to make poverty more palatable to its audience.
It also does not attempt to shock the viewer with the horrors of poverty, at least not in the Slumdog Millionaire way. When you watch the kids play in the stinking Cooum river, it's difficult not to smile at their sheer joy. When the mother comes back home from the ration shop with a TV but no rice (the stock is over), there is no sentimental music in the background to drill into the viewer the irony of this. You are drawn into the celebratory atmosphere in the house though your eyes do well up.
M.Manikandan's film is rich in detail but he deliberately chooses to leave out bits of information that are not immediately relevant to the storyline. For example, we are never told why exactly the father of the boys is in prison. It's something that happens commonly enough in their lives and they don't go looking for explanations. They accept it as part of their reality. Similarly, we don't know the names of the boys at all – they are simply referred to as Periya Kaaka Muttai and Chinna Kaaka Muttai. That's how their friends call them and that's how we're allowed to know them. You watch the film through the shifting perspectives of its various characters and react to the same incidents differently, as they do. This is no mean feat; this is a brand of storytelling that isn't common in Tamil cinema where directors often seem to think that the audience won't understand 'the message' unless you spell it out to them in bright neon.
Kaaka Muttai deserves every bit of the critical acclaim and success that it is enjoying at the box office currently. Hungry for a good movie, kya? This one fits the bill like no other. Devour it.
