Kalvan Tamil Movie Review - OTT material
Kemban, a merciless individual, and his companion Suri embrace life without any boundaries. When Kemabn meets an elderly man and a woman, with whom he finally falls in love, how does his life change?
In Kalvan, you get the impression that a lot is going on on-screen, but at the same time, you also get the impression that nothing at all is occurring. Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that this seemingly straightforward movie touches on a wide range of topics, including animals and human psychology. But Kalvan moves through without producing any sound over its whole length. This isn't the kind of movie that makes you stop, gasp, and take another look.
The problem with Kalvan is that it's straightforward and largely a low-risk endeavor. Naturally, we cannot criticize a movie for being simple and straightforward. However, taking into account what Kalvan says, there is a problem with the movie being too simple. This film, directed by PV Shankar, is meant to have high stakes but ends up being low stakes by accident.
Positively, the protagonist character's portrayal and the cast's performances shine in Kalvan. Kemban, played by gv prakash Kumar, is very different from the morally upright heroes in our films who serve as role models and torchbearers. His persona is far from flawless and may even be considered pitiful. On the other hand, one could argue that Kemban's final character development needed a lot more subtlety and polish. Nonetheless, the movie does a fantastic job of keeping Kemban's motivations a mystery for the most part.
Kalvan mostly tells an archetypal story with all the necessary conditions. For instance, a required song appears to introduce Kemban's persona. When Kemban falls in love with Balamani (Ivana), another song plays. When Balamani falls in love with Kemban, there is yet another song. The CGI animal in a pivotal sequence seems so fake and phony that it undermines the credibility of the movie.
The portion of the movie that may be the worst is when a mahout-playing Malayali character is introduced. How in the world did the creators think it would be hilarious to have him say, "I am not a nair but a Namboothiri," repeatedly? The entire scene is simply so incredibly startling that it pulls you out of a movie that would normally be considered unimportant yet enjoyable to watch on OTT.