Karnan Review : Dhanush and Mari Selvaraj Deliver a Beautiful Film for the Ages!

By: Pritish Murgan

Karnan is Mari Selvaraj’s second film as writer-director and stars Dhanush, Lal, Rajisha Vijayan amongst others. The film opens with a haunting image of a girl struggling with her life in the middle of the road, with no one to help her. This scene itself sets up the entire tone of the movie and prepares you for a disturbing ride.

‘Karnan’ played by Dhanush is an angry young man from a lower-caste village called Podiyankulam which does not have a bus stop of its own. People of this village have to walk to nearby villages to board a bus and are often harassed by the upper-caste people. How Karnan gets involved in one of such incidents and how he fights against this oppression forms the crux of the story.

The first half of the film felt a little slow as there are multiple storylines going on, dealing with the daily lives of the villagers. All actors have done a great job by maintaining a realistic body language and showing great command over the local dialect. It is very refreshing to see such an honest and real depiction of the lives of people. The story picks up pace in the second half, as we see Karnan and the villagers go up against the police.

Mari Selvaraj is a visual filmmaker. Rather than giving long monologues or creating lengthy, overdramatic scenes he chooses to move his story forward with visuals. We get to see various shots of a horse, a donkey, an eagle and even a Village Goddess! This is one of those few films in which the audience actually will understand the importance of visual storytelling. These powerful visuals are accompanied by an electrifying background score by Santhosh Narayanan. The music and songs are situational and elevate the intensity of every scene. The cinematography by Theni Eshwar is also commendable, as he fills up the screen with striking silhouettes and earthy colours. The performances too stay with you long after the film is over. Watch out for the climax scene between Karnan and the villain!

Karnan is one of those films that not just entertains you but also makes you think. It touches upon issues like caste, oppression and identity and makes you introspect the society around you. Mari Selvaraj wants to shake you off your seat with his strong storytelling and manages to do so to a large extent.

Karnan is a film that will leave you with a smile on your face and also tears in your eyes. Watch it now on Amazon Prime.

Rating: Four Stars ****