Kirumi

In the opening stretches of Kirumi, we see Kathir (Kathir), its protagonist, indulging in worthless conversation with his friends, getting into a tiff over it and storming off the place, hitching a ride with his neighbour Prabhakar (who is on a 'job'), flirt with an eager young girl who is alone at home (and mischievously goes into her room in a inviting manner to freshen up), and proudly tell Prabhakar's wife Gayathri that he visits his home once a week when she questions him on spending the nights at his friends' room; in short, we see him behaving every bit like the carefree, young heroes populating our screens. And then, we get a scene where he is in his house. And we see that he has a wife and a kid! But this revelation isn't underscored by judging Kathir for what he was doing earlier, but simply conveyed to us in a matter-of-fact manner. And, it is at this particular moment that the film makes us realize that it is not going a typical Tamil film.

The film is about this ordinary, young man, who is still a man-child, evolving into an adult and realising his priorities and responsibilities. And for this to happen, director Anucharan provides a setting that feels new to the audience, and turns what should essentially be a coming-of-age drama into a tense thriller. This world, which is populated cops, informers, and gangsters, is richly detailed (Kaaka Muttai's M Manikandan is the co-writer) and feels incredibly close to real life, with Arul Vincent's camera often acting as a fly on the wall, letting us peek into the lives of these characters. We see how each one is interdependent on the other and how those with power can toy with lives of the normal folk.

The plot kicks into gear when Kathir, with Prabhakar's (Charlie, rock-solid) help, becomes an informer to the ambitious inspector Soundarapandian (David, impressive), and helps him out with his cases. In return, the cop treats him in a friendly manner. Meanwhile, Kathir decides to teach a thing or two to Sh...