Vijay Sethupathi and Aishwarya Rajesh have come together for the fourth time with Ka Pae Ranasingam which has now been released on the Zee Plex platform. The film’s teaser showed great promise and had some hard hitting dialogues, thereby leaving an impact among the audience. Has the same impact been felt in the movie? Here is our review!
Ka Pae Ranasingam deals with the journey of Ariyanachi (Aishwarya Rajesh) who fights the system and the corrupt Government officials to bring back the mortal remains of her dead husband, Ranasingam (Vijay Sethupathi). What was Ariyanachi’s fate in this challenging journey and did she win the battle forms the rest of the story.
Debut director P Virumandi has addressed a very topical issue and it is a subject that has not been told before. The intent is appreciable and the film definitely carries moments that would impact you. Especially, the last 30 minutes are emotionally charged and it is sure to leave you with a heavy heart. The staging looks neat in the final act and it keeps you hooked to the screens. However, one could feel that the same could have been done in the initial and middle portions which is less on engagement factor. The film talks about a very serious issue and Ariyanachi’s travel has been captured with utmost reality. The film indeed brings to light the complications involved in bringing home a dead body from a foreign country, especially that of labour workers. The dialogues are bold and thoughtfully written and people would definitely connect to a lot of lines. The loopholes in the Government system and societal class differences are brought out neatly and there is a sense of smartness in the writing.
However, the film moves at a sluggish pace until the last act and the film demands good patience. It could have definitely been cut short by some more time as close to 3 hours is a tad too long. It looks like the film had a lot of scenes that were placed for the stardom of Vijay Sethupathi and to increase his screen time. The initial establishment of characters is understandable, but later, similar scenes get repeated and it doesn’t keep you invested in the film. The screenplay is of slight concern here as you don’t feel the intended impact throughout the film and it is just the final pay off that is impactful. The melodramatic treatment in a few emotional scenes could have been avoided. The strong and sensitive plot has been diluted with an elongated screenplay. More effectiveness in the direction and packaging could have made the difference.
Aishwarya Rajesh heads the film from the front and this would be yet another memorable film for her after Kanaa and Namma Veettu Pillai. Aishwarya’s performance as Ariyanachi stands out and she is brilliant. She holds the audience with her emotionally driven act, especially in the last scene where she breaks down. Vijay Sethupathi, in his screen time of close to an hour, is natural. His combination scenes with Aishwarya Rajesh are interesting and it would be enjoyed by the fans. Bhavani Sre makes a pretty impressive debut and shows good potential. Rangaraj Pandey, Arunraja Kamaraj, Vela Ramamoorthy and others deliver their measured performances.
Ghibran gives solid support with his background score and his re-recording elevates the mood of the emotional and impactful scenes. NK Ekhambaram’s cinematography is functional. As already said, Shivanandeeswaran’s editing could have been crisper.
Verdict: Ka Pae Ranasingam can be watched for its strong subject and the impactful performance of Aishwarya Rajesh!
