'Kazhuvethi Moorkkan' Tamil movie review

Director Gowthama Raj’s Kazhuvethi Moorkkan is an intense story with deep meaning. Initially, it comes across as just a simple story of friendship and betrayal. But at a deeper level, it shines the light on the deadly nexus that exists between politics and caste.

For those interested in the title of the film, Kazhuvethi Moorkkan is made up of two Tamil words.

The first word, Kazhuvethi, is a tool that was used in ancient times to put people to death for serious crimes.

The Kazhuvethi, which was in use in southern Tamil Nadu even during the pre-Independence days, is a thick spear positioned vertically, with its pointed end facing the sky.

When somebody was sentenced to death, they were made to sit on the Kazhuvethi, which eventually penetrated through the body till the tip emerged through the top of their head, thereby ensuring a painful and horrible death.

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Synopsis

Kazhuvethi Moorkkan is about Moorkkan (Arulnithi Tamilarasu) and Bhoominathan (Santhosh Prathap) — two people who grow up as friends despite coming from different castes.

Moorkkan is brash and violent, and belongs to a caste considered to be higher in stature. Bhoomi, who is patient, intelligent, and humble, hails from a caste that is lower in stature.

Like elsewhere in the state, casteism is prevalent in Moorkkan and Bhoomi’s village as well.

It is religiously followed by the upper-caste villagers, who stop even their children from mingling or playing with the children of those from the lower castes.

However, they are unable to stop Moorkkan from mingling with Bhoomi. This is because Moorkkan considers Bhoomi to be a dear friend, and springs to his defence every time someone makes a move to attack him.

As the two grow older, the bond between them gets stronger. Bhoomi, who is one of the few people to be educated among the lower castes, starts working for the upliftment of those from his community.

Conflict

Life seems to be peaceful in the sleepy village until one day an ambitious politician (Rajasimman), who has great plans to grow in stature and power within his party, decides to organise a big meeting for members of his caste in the region to impress his party heads.

Bhoomi opposes political posters being put up for the meeting in the streets where those from the lower castes reside as it could lead to friction between members of rival castes.

What starts as a simple disagreement soon develops into a major battle because of the politician’s ego.

How the politician manipulates people to pit friend against friend and how Moorkkan gets the better of the politician is what the film is all about.

Strong points

Kazhuvethi Moorkkan has an intense and engaging storyline. It moves at a fast pace, with substantial developments taking place one after the other.

The dialogues are meaningful and hard-hitting, conveying strong ideas in simple terms. The film beautifully showcases how politicians play the caste card to keep their vote banks together.

They also show how the problem of caste is prevalent at all levels and in all segments of society.

Director Gowthama Raj shows how position can be so intoxicating that politicians don’t mind sacrificing their own family members for its sake.

Weak points

The romantic portions between actress Dushara Vijayan and Arul Nithi slows down the pace of the film, which otherwise is quite intense.

In fact, the romantic portions are probably Kazhuvethi Moorkkan’s biggest drawback.

Fine performances

Gowthama Raj narrates a story that he seems to have deeply believed in with absolute command.

Some of the characters in the film make you go wow! For instance, Munishkanth, who plays Moorkkan’s uncle in the film, is shown just as a wastrel in the beginning. As the film progresses, his character begins to assume significance.

It keeps gaining in stature that at one point, it kind of emerges, if only for a brief while, as the strongest character in the film. Make no mistake, this is one of Munishkanth’s finest performances to date.

Both Arulnithi, who plays Moorkkan, and Santhosh Prathap, who plays Bhoomi, deliver outstanding performances. Both literally turn into the characters they play on-screen and own the space they are given.

Sayadevi, who plays Santhosh Prathap’s love interest in the film, impresses as well.

Actor Sarath Lokithashwa comes up with yet another commanding performance as the Superintendent of police in this film. In particular, the scene in which he interacts with Munishkanth has some hair-raising moments in it.

The film is an engaging entertainer. However, it has some really gory scenes as the level of violence showcased is pretty high.