Komban Movie Review
First thing first, Karthi's Komban doesn't glorify or degrade particular caste; instead the film is a routine mass masala entertainer with all the necessary commercial trappings and cliches which are considered to be the favorite of the masses (or B & c centres?)
Kombaya Pandian (Karthi) is a butcher by profession and he leads his life by virtues which is a kind of relief for us because after a long time we are shown a hero who doesn't booze, smoke and most importantly he doesn't sing songs in bar or degrade the heroine. If anyone ill-treats women or cheats in business, Komban would certainly whack them for which he is celebrated by the Arasanadu village people.
At one point of time, Komban falls in love with Palani (Lakshmi Menon ) and her father Muthiah (Rajkiran) too agrees for the marriage. But somehow our hero does not like Muthaih. There is also another parallel track where the villains badly want to murder both Rajkiran and Karthi which comes as the major play in the second half of the movie which leads to a weak climax that looks more like a staged drama.
What really works in Komban is the milieu and the customs and rituals followed in Ramanathapuram area of south Tamilnadu and the characterization of Karthi, Rajkiran and Kovai Sarala. The way Muthiah character is portrayed and his interactions with Karthi are realistic. But there is hardly any chemistry between the lead pair.
On the downside, there are too many cliches with the characterizations of the villain gang spearheaded by Gundan Ramasamy (Super Subbarayan) and there is not even a single scene where the baddie beats our hero, every given time Komban turns victorious which in turn makes it a boring play. Similarly, the second half of the film is filled with predicatable twists.
Performance wise, Karthi is good and he carries the film on his shoulders. His sharp look and well toned physique add more punch to his character. Rajkiran seem to be the right choice in such roles, while Lakshmi Menon sleep-walks as though she is bored (like the audiences) playing the same role she has done in half a dozen films. Kovai Sarala and Thambi Ramaiah come in handy to accelerate the film's pace with their funny one liners.
Velraj's cinematography has shown the rusty Ramanathapuram locales in different color tone and GV Prakash's music and BGM are noteworthy with the Karupu Nirathalagi being the pick of the lot. Sharp cuts of Praveen KL has helped the movie to maintain the pace.
Overall, Komban is a poor cousin of Paruthiveeran, another rural mass entertainer with necessary ingredients to satisfy the masses.
