Kadhir’s Exam Track — An Emotional Roller Coaster

No man succeeds without a good woman behind him. And if it’s wife and mother, then he is blessed twice.

The charm of Kadhir’s exam track is in its low-key approach. The track isn’t milked for any upbeat vivacious emotions although all emerge naturally from familiar situations. The sequence seamlessly plays into instilling the confidence in many minds that no matter what, a slow, steady and a determined mind will any day win the race.

Kadhir, alongside a very supportive, sometimes a tad persistent wife stayed positive, worked hard, and made it happen. Since the time his unfulfilled longing was identified by his better half, his journey has only been upward.

Perseverance and Selflessness taking turns between the pair, coupled with moments that sparkle, aided by an inventive camera and a consistently precise writing under the steering of a very able captain who has a clear vision to lead, each episode in this track has been pivoting a true sense of purpose and dexterously balancing an array of character tones.

Kadhir is the perfect balance of naïveté and cleverness, shyness and innocence and Kumaran as the artist, embodies the characterization’s traits as his second nature. When his wife reminds him of his exam results, the insecurity is palpable in almost every frame and its evident he’s afraid of not just the results but his imaginary everything that would follow suit if the results went south.

The involuntary holding hands, avoiding eye contact, staring into blank space while keeping the obligatory nods going at regular intervals, managing a subtle to none smile are a clear indication of his racing heart and an anxious mind working to untangle the countless “what if” possibilities.

Exam results are always a terrifying experience that many of us can easily relate to. It’s bad enough that Kadhir is brooding over not having given his best and nervousness playing precarious games with him, his problems get complicated when he copies his number incorrectly from the hall ticket to a piece of paper that the couple reference when looking up his results. The hopeful feeling is put to the test of a wacky scheme with wildly unexpected twists and turns.

Kumaran’s performance anchors the episodes so that his scene partners can be equally effective. The camera stays on his face, and his response is simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting. His eyes alone can convey a multitude of emotions resulting in a beautiful performance, a calling card for the starring roles to come. Thanks to the several fan pages and the jillion edits, one could get a clearer view of his nuanced expressions.

Kumaran’s signature is his mastership in adding the necessary shading with reference to the situation and character, enhancing the depth and fullness of the portrayal. His show was like watching an artist build up a blank canvas on screen which is both a colorful classic and at the same time detail oriented.

Mullai, the lynch pin of this track has the second highest scope to perform in par with Kadhir which the actress has used to her benefit with finesse. She navigates through the Navarasa, strictly not the ones in the scriptures but 9 unique expressions that stand as a pillar of support to elevate the output.

A cheerful sarcasm over her husband’s victorious account tallying attempt to locate the missing 200 rupees, a mild surprise mixed with shock when her husband had conveniently forgotten the D-day, followed by a hilarious frisky banter where the couple explores the handful of grocery options available to purchase in 200 rupees through animated eye rolls and excessive stress on syllables, making the audience wonder if the additional emphasis would somehow increase the rupee value of the amount, were quite a sight to behold.

Her confidence on her husband’s intelligence, the compassionate reassurances when she realizes his angst, her fear on how her husband would process the failure and the continuous comfort she tried to offer and her weak attempts to cheer him up were all glaring evidences that she has come a long way in the relationship prioritizing her husband over everything else and there is no turning back.

Be it displaying confusion on seeing people from the media at their doorstep, or rechecking the number and the excitement that followed, and last but not the least all the love with which she watches her husband sharing his journey making her the centerpiece of his story were places one would sit back, relax and enjoy the visual poetry, Kaavya, as Mullai had created.

Moorthy’s unconditional love for his brother, rendering him speechless and emotional over Kadhir’s achievement with a sense of guilt if he had in any way robbed his childhood was beyond beautifully articulated by the actor. Stalin would have had several tearful eyes just when he spoke about his brother. The variations in his body language and voice modulation was so astounding and soul stirring.

Meena is inclined to skepticism in general and will exaggerate if it’s Kadhir and Mullai in the equation. The actress, having been given similar situations over and over again has gained complete mastery that she can write a thesis for nailing the T’s & C’s. A god salute to the star for the same. But that is all. Too much of anything is good for nothing. A gentle reminder to the crew that anything used in measured amounts alone can be valued, over usage could backfire without a hitch.

Her assumptions over the 3 guests who had come asking for Kadhiravan and the templated acting that followed was an overkill to say the least. The lead to an eminent setting that should have lifted the scene from the scratch went off the charts tangential with extraneous elements. Passing the baton to Meena to score in this sequence was uncalled for.

The normal expectation of an interview would be that the person who is the reason behind the media assemblage outside the house will be offered the maximum screen space with an opportunity to narrate his story. The master scene outside the house was a bit disappointing and elating at the same time.

Removing Lakshmi amma from the context even after she had a dress change and calling the anni the mother is something my modest and practical brain refuses to receive. There must be at least one compelling reason for me to see beyond my values of no substitutes for a mother to appreciate Kadhir addressing his anni as his mother, let alone accepting it. Other than stirring the pot in the house way often than required, I don’t see a value add from the anni characterization in the upbringing of the brothers to have risen to the rank of a mother. Very unsettling.

The director allows his characters to improvise in places necessary which we have seen and heard way often. All the artists are seasoned and have been living the characters that improvisation becomes an untold agenda. It feels like sometimes they catch the camera off guard by making an unanticipated motion giving a result that is authentic, fresh, and very enlivening.

A very sincere and effective track, beautifully conceived, exceptionally scripted and neatly executed.

Looking forward to more such enjoyable tracks and my best wishes to the team !