Kida review: This realistic social drama from Ra Venkat touches your heart

Director Ra Venkat’s Kida is a heartwarming, realistic social drama that brings a smile to your face by the time it ends.

The story is set in a remote village and begins on the eve of Deepavali.

Chellaiah (the late actor ‘Poo’ Ram), a poor tree climber whose world revolves around his grandson Kathir (Master Deepan), eagerly awaits the arrival of butcher Vellachamy (Kaali Venkat) to whom he intends to sell his lone goat — Karuppu.

Chellaiah has been bringing up the goat, like his own child. His grandson Kathir loves it with all his heart. However, Chellaiah has no other option but to sell his goat to the butcher as he has no money to buy a new dress for his grandson for Deepavali.

Despite trying his best, Chellaiah fails to convince people to lend him some money to celebrate the festival.

The child, who eagerly waits for his granddad to buy him a new dress and firecrackers for the festival, feels cheated as Deepavali draws near.

So, Chellaiah decides to sell his goat with a heavy heart a day before Deepavali, much to the dismay of the poor boy, who pleads with his granddad not to sell off the trusting animal.

The goat is significant to butcher Vellachamy, a good person but an alcoholic who needs the animal to start his own business on Deepavali morning.

Vellachamy is out to prove a point to his previous boss, who has just fired him and intends to start his butchering business on Deepavali morning no matter what.

When Vellachamy arrives with the money to buy the goat, Karuppu goes missing. What happens then is what the story of Kida is all about.

Also Read: The unusual combination of Telugu heroes and non-Telgu filmmakers

Perfect casting

The film appeals to you for several reasons. Most importantly, it appeals to you for the truthfulness with which it is told. There are no pretensions, no exaggerations, and no artificiality.

The casting is perfect. Every actor looks their part.

All actors deliver commendable performances, but the three most significant actors who steal the limelight are late actor ‘Poo’ Ramu as Chellaiah, Kaali Venkat as Vellachamy, and master Deepan as Kathir.

Ramu, known for his outstanding performances, delivers yet another fantastic performance — probably for the last time. He breathes life into the character of Chellaiah. He subconsciously teleports you to Chelliah’s world so that you feel his pain and understand his desperation.

Kaali Venkat delivers an equally admirable performance as the kind-hearted alcoholic who is determined to prove a point to the son of his ex-boss, who has thrown him out of a shop he helped start.

Thanks to the exceptionally good performances of these two actors, you get hooked on the plot of the story, which leaves you moved by the time it ends.

#Kida – Advance booking open now. This Saturday release in theatres. Only 3 days to go

starring @kaaliactor

Buy Tickets https://t.co/ekPPhgGP9G@SravanthiMovies @VenkatRadhaKri1 @pkvirumandi1 @loki_arumugam @pkskumar2512 @edit_anand @Theeson_Music @ekadasidirector @NandhuartA… pic.twitter.com/7AxNI5HkKN

— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) November 8, 2023

Also Read: Dhanush-starrer ‘Captain Miller’ to release for Pongal next year

Sends across subtle messages

Apart from its truthfulness, one other reason why Kida strikes a chord with you is because of the number of subtle but significant messages it looks to send across.

The film makes several significant points — the trust an animal has in a human or how kids can teach adults a thing or two about unconditional love and compassion, and the need to lend a helping hand to one another despite one’s challenges.

Verdict

It has quite a few scenes that steal your heart and bring a smile to your face. Kida, without a doubt, is worth a watch!

(Views expressed here are personal.)