Film Review: ''Rajakaali Amman''

ADHIBHAGAVAN FILMS' ``Rajakaali Amman'' presented under the Kavithalaya banner has an inexplicable incongruity. For one, the genre is not one that you would expect from the house of K. Balachander. And secondly, even if it was an attempt at something different the projection of sequences, however unbelievable, could have been made interesting.

``Rajakaali Amman'' straightway transports you to the cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when animals were made to play important parts, act with the intelligence of humans and even surpass them in wit. That was more than three decades ago. The novelty is bound to wear off.

The oh-so-predictable storyline goes thus: Seemaidurai (Karan) is the archetypal cinema villain who learns from an evil astrologer (Charan Raj) that he is bound to die because of Meena (Kousalya). Karan dupes her into marrying him so that he could kill her easily. Kousalya and her brother Vadivelu are the typical doting- brother-loving- sister kind. Goddess Rajakaali Amman (Ramya Krishnan) is always guarding them. What happens to Karan's plans and how the Goddess protects Kousalya form the rest of it.

With the twirling of his head, and his long robe, mane and beard, if you expected the sorcerer (`Nizhalgal' Ravi) to do something concrete in helping Karan, forget it, it's all gimmick and little action from this modern magician. Except making a snake hiss and dart from the centre of his palm (`Mortal Kombat' style) like all true villains, he achieves little.

The background score of S. A. Rajkumar, for the most part, sounds like music you have heard before.

All the same, graphics are an appreciable part of the film. Kudos to Digital studios and Trotsky Marudhu.

Kousalya not recognising the Goddess immediately is a difficult story to buy, even by the most credulous.

Produced by Pushpa Kandasamy, the film has been conceived, scripted and directed by Rama. Narayanan.

The story is old, the way the characters enact their roles is ancient, and melodrama is predominant, especially in Vadivelu's expressions.

A film for the most gullible among us.

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Section  : Entertainment
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