Direction:  Lokesh Kanagaraj

Cast: Karthi, Narain, Vijay TV Dheena, Mariam George & others

Producers:  SR Prabhu, SR Prakash Babu, Tiruppur Vivek

Story: 

Karthi has a recently released prisoner. A cop Vijay(Narain) seeks the help of Karthi to save the life of officers. It all starts after a drug mafia plans to kill five cops who seize drugs of crores value.  Will the officer Narain be able to save his mate’s life? Who is Karthi and what is his backstory? How will Karthi go all out to help the police? forms the rest of the story.

Khaidi review: Father-daughter emotion shines

Analysis:

Sathyan Sooryan, the person behind the camer has come up with top-notch cinematography. The framing and camera lighting has been used with a perfect texture. Editing work by Philomin Raj is okay but he should have chopped close to ten minutes of the first half to make things more appealing.

Music by Sam C. S is engaging as his background score works largely and breaths life into the second half. The film has no songs so there is no need to discuss the topic. Coming to director Lokesh Kanagaraj, he is one of the talents to look out for. The way he handled a simple point with crystal clear detailing will be appreciated by the audience. Having a star like Karthi in the hands, he would have done a formulaic commercial film but instead, he chooses to make an experimental film that is highly appreciable. If he continues to make new-age films like Kaidhi, Lokesh will surely go places in the future.

Positives:

Speaking about the lead actor Karthi has given his fullest, which appears on the screen. His makeover as a wild prisoner with a soft heart has been projected nicely. Karthi as an actor can easily store the film and role as the best in his library. His settled acting and dialogue-less expressions will be loved by the audience.

Though there are no commercials elements, the emotional thread between Karthi and his daughter has been handled in an impressive way.Action sequences in the second half have been executed in a realistic manner. Apart from Karthi, yet another key role in the film is actor Narain. He is too good in the given character and acted well. As the film mostly runs between Karthi and Narain, the chemistry between them brings a lot of depth to the proceedings.

The little girl, who acted as Karthi’s daughter is cute and acted nicely. A senior actor from the Tamil industry is the show-stealer as his character as a constable will bring life to a few intense scenes in the IG office. The guy who portrayed the Lorry owner’s role is also good in the given character.

Negatives:

One of the major minuses for the film is that it lacks commerciality in it. The film is a serious drama and had a simple story and is a cat and mouse game between the police and drug dealer gang. A few scenes like villain’s gang targetting IG office looks a bit over the top and could have been presented in a different way.

The first half of the film runs on a flat note with a slow narration which is also a minus for the film. Lack of noted faces in a few prominent roles may also not go well with our audience. The film has a completely serious tone which might not be liked by many.

Verdict:

Go for it of you enjoy dark crime drama