Kallan movie review: This heist drama, starring Karu Palaniappan in the lead, is an avoidable mess

2/5

Story: A group of three friends indulge in various illegal activities for a living and end up in jail. After several days of planning, they escape from the prison and decide to rob a few rich people. They join hands with another group of friends with a similar mindset. But except a couple of them, others have selfish motives which affect the lives of everyone. Will they be able to lead a luxurious life as planned?  

Review: Chandra Thangaraj's Kallan is an aptly titled film because of its plot which revolves around various theft attempts. The movie reminds us of many heist films which were released in Kollywood, but the sequences in it lack emotional depth because of which the viewers find it hard to connect with the characters, including the protagonist.

Velu (Karu Palaniappan) is the son of a forest hunter who knows nothing in life except hunting down animals for a living. Unfortunately, his life hit a roadblock after a new law was implemented against hunting wild animals. Quite confused about future life, he, along with his two friends, decided to loot money from rich people in their village.

However, one such attempt leads to the murder of an old woman after which the three of them end up in jail. They befriend another group of friends there, including Mari (Namo Narayana), who is in charge of selling drugs to the inmates.

All of them hatch a plan to escape from the prison and execute it effortlessly. Both the groups start indulging in more thefts to lead a luxurious life in the future. But little did Velu and Mari know that others in their group are heartless men with hidden motives. With cops chasing them everywhere, will they be able to commit more crimes?

As a plot, Kallan appears promising on paper. Some of the actors who are chosen to play notable characters, too, do not disappoint. But the screenplay, though not patience testing, doesn't offer any exciting moments. Karu Palaniappan, as the fearless thief and murderer Velu, who embraces a few ethics, is sincere towards his character.

Namo Narayana gives life to an ambitious character who gets easily manipulated because of his selfish wife's desires in a convincing manner. His performance in the third third act, and the slew of twists and turns that follow, are perhaps the only exciting part in the movie.

The insipid making, coupled with lack of believability and novelty in screenplay make it difficult for the audience to sit through till the end. Though the time period isn't clearly mentioned in the film, it looks like the filmmaker has set the story in the late 80s. However, there are no other concrete depictions to make viewers relate to the time period.

The character arc attributed to Selvi, the wife of Mari, is interesting towards the end. Maya Chandran essayed the suspense-filled role effortlessly. But the crucial dialogues which she utters to manipulate her husband which leads to mayhem lack punch.

Some of the other characters who played notable roles, including Velu's wife and his friends, deserved more character depth. The ill-fated incidents that happen in their lives do not affect us in any way because of this. The technical aspects, including background score, disappoint big time, another reason which makes us detach with the proceedings on screen.

Verdict: Kallan has an interesting premise which begins promisingly. But as the story progresses, we come across sequences that aren't gripping. Despite a handful of sincere performances, the movie ends up as a disappointment.

Kallan is streaming on Zee5.