Kaaki Sattai Movie Review - Siva delivers , but the cop story lacks punch !!!

Kaaki Sattai Review:

Cast : Siva Karthikeyan,Sri Divya,Prabhu,Vijay Raaz.
Music : Anirudh
Direction : Durai Senthilkumar.

Coming from the successful combo of Durai Senthilkumar-Sivakarthikeyan-Dhanush which made the entertaining Ethir neechal, Kaaki Sattai had a lot riding on it, especially due to the cold reception given by critics to Siva's previous one Maan karate. Besides, the movie bears the name of the 1985 Kamal Hassan superhit. So what's Kaaki Sattai all about ?? Let's see. 

Plot and Performances: 

Crime branch constable Mathimaran is a wannabe supercop,who aspires to serve the society with the cop-job.Only that the people above don't let him to be a real cop.But circumstances force Mathimaran to deal with a deadly red market(organ trade) racket, and the high profile VIPs behind.Does Mathimaran hunt down the criminals and eliminate the organ trade racket,and whether his career reaches the high that he dreams for is what Kaaki Sattai is all about.

It's a Siva karthikeyan show again(as it is the norm with every other movie of him!!),but for once, we get to see a different Siva for most part. As the sincere policeman he displays the right amount of anger and fire(the interval block action sequence is a stunner from Siva, and is a far better attempt compared to the climax action sequence of Maan karate,where Siva totally looked out of place).

Sivakarthikeyan tries to do a vijay be it in his body language or mannerisms or energetic dances,and hopefully he takes care of that and avoids that in his next movie,for,we like to see the original siva,whose stronghold is the comic sense,and not this siva who tries to ape some one else.

Comedy is Siva's forte, and in all his previous movies, he has taken complete care of that angle with an able company(Soori/Sathish).Surprisingly, except for few sequences in the first half's beaten to death romance track,and a particular block in the second half(with the now famous "Hara hara Maha devaki" - the theater erupts in laughter for this one!!) the comedy is totally left to Imman annachi, and he tries hard to evoke laughs, only in vain as most of the lines fall flat. Sri Divya, is a pretty doll,and is made to romance Siva,and give him company,and Kaaki Sattai doesn't provide any platform for her acting prowess.Besides, her make up could have been definitely toned down much( that heavy coating of lipstick throughout the runtime just spoils!!).Prabhu in an extended supporting role as the senior cop who helps Siva gets to play another cliched character that doesn't quiet exploit the veteran's skills. Vijay Raaz as the principal antagonist fails to make an impact,and Durai senthilkumar ought to have designed the character in a really menacing way rather than this stereotypical characterization. Talented actors like Yog Jaypee,Nagineedu,and Kalpana are wasted in poor characters. 

Technical Departments and Direction : 

Cinematography by Sukumar is impressive , as he makes every song visually appealing(Kadhal Kan kattudhe and Iam so cool in particular), and the stunt sequences are captured very well. Anirudh's BGM appeals more than songs(most of them falling flat except for Kadhal Kan Kattudhe - thanks to the splendid visuals,and the other songs get a notice for the ever-improving dancing skills of Siva),and it gives the much needed mass impact in several sequences and action blocks(the interval block,deserves mention, for elevating Siva's projection as a mass hero).Noor's editing could have been better, as the movie requires trimming, to pep up the otherwise dull proceedings in the first half. 

Durai Senthilkumar, who mixed athletes and the fraudulent practices in gender tests into the story of a man who hates his name in Ethir neechal, has chosen the story of an aspiring supercop who eliminates an Organ trade racket.This time round, he has let go of the strong point in his previous movie - the sense of humor which was appealing and was intertwined with the plot. Kaaki Sattai is serious for most part, and that becomes a negative as well, as this Shirt is worn by someone who's known and liked for his comic sense.But Siva's sincere efforts considered, Durai should have delivered a convincing screenplay,and that's where he has letdown Siva big time. The first half moves at a leisurely pace,with pointless conversations between Siva and Imman which were intended to be humorous, and that romance track which is neither humorous nor sustains interest.However the 20 minutes before the interval, moves at a rapid pace, and keeps the viewer engaged ,expecting a pacy action packed second half. But with the revelation of the real villain and the end of Yog jaypee's character,the second half takes the cliched route, and becomes much predictable. The Hero-villain chase game should have been interesting, but that's dealt with in an amateurish way,involving Manobala( the whole track looks forced, trying to evoke laughs, and could have gone worse,if not for Siva's Hara Hara mimicking). Durai totally ignores logic in the unsatisfactory climax sequence, as he just aims to end the drag.Constable Mathimaran,at one instance ,looks damn serious, speaking the values a policeman must possess, and the very next moment is seen trying to act funny- and that exactly is Kaaki Sattai. The movie tries to be a tribute to cops and be funny as well, but ends up neither here nor there. 

What works : Siva, the occasional humor,Interval block. 

What fails : Songs placement, the dragging first half, uninteresting hero-villain clash.

VERDICT : Siva delivers, but the cop story lacks punch. 5.5/10