Kara TamilYogi Review: Bank heist movies typically promise a tight-knifed tension, smart plotting, and that every action counts. Kara however follows a more bumpy route. It seizes you in glimpses, and slips into the old again just when it is about to fly. With a creative background of Por Thozhil, no wonder the expectations were high. The film instead of measuring up to the same sharpness, drifts towards rural, character driven crime and redemption. Dhanush grounds it with a performance that is lived in instead of a performance. It has its moments that really hit, as well as emotional moments, social commentary, and a question of whether the change ever comes easy. But the movie can hardly combine these elements into a cohesive whole.
Fundamentally, Kara is more of a bank heist film with its foundation being a countryside setting. The storyline is also interesting, the main character is a man with a poor village background and becomes involved in stealing, and then reaches a moment when he wants to be reformed and lead a less active life. The story is defined by a key conflict, whether he will be able to change life. He is pushed to a moral crossroad by that question whereby the attraction of crime conflicts with the hope of redemption. The struggle, particularly the involvement with the banks and systemic strains, provides a social significance.
Dhanush puts in what seems like a natural performance. In the countryside, he seems to be in total harmony with the material. He moves in and out of character of a flawed, emotional young man, who is deeply bound to his family and environment. His most interesting trait is his restraint. At a critical point when he is about to apologize to Mamitha Baiju, he manages to apologize with no word. There is the weight of the whole scene in a glance. This is a definite advancement in his art. Where the previous acts did rely on the dialogue and physicality, in this case even silence is expressive.
The supporting cast is a strength. K. S. Ravikumar assumes a role of refreshingly different and does it with apparent commitment. As a banker, Jayaram adds a certain level of naturalness to the character.
The scene of Ramanathapuram is textured. The movie is believable in portraying the arid nature of the land and the truth of water shortage. More to the point, it represents the strains generated by financial systems. The portrayal of loans, interest and economic pressure is all too close to reality. The movie makes one think about personal finances and unspoken pressures they are at some moment. This is one of its strongest points and this emotional resonance.
Meanwhile, a feeling of familiarity remains. Some of the scenes can be compared to other places, and this makes the film lack uniqueness. In contrast to Por Thozhil each element seemed to be accurate and crisp, Kara sometimes smears into familiar ground. The script, especially, might have used a tighter writing. Some of the dialogues and visual decisions are not original.
Plausibility is also an issue. One person stealing 15 banks would probably not be a local issue, but a national concern. This lack of a good institutional reaction undermines the credibility of the narrative. Also, the image of banks is heavily biased towards a negative perspective, which forms one dimensional perception. The restricted settings of the film, predominantly houses, banks, streets, and village areas also add to the feeling of imprisonment. The village itself, even, fails to create a lasting visual impression, which seems like a missed opportunity.
Rural characters are also simplified in the writing. An example of a character that is not developed is a character that is played by Karunaas. The rural folk tend to be very practical and strong willed, something that would have been a great addition to the story.
The film is structurally best in pieces. The sequence of intervals is interesting and generates the interest towards the identity. The revenge song provides a few highlight scenes, with the use of an aruval being one such. These snippets allude to a more powerful movie. Nevertheless, the story lacks such flow in its entirety and the experience turns out to be disproportional.
Another attempt that can be observed is to make the film cross language friendly. Ironically, this water downs its regional identity. It could have made a more natural universal appeal by a more assertive sense of its cultural particularism.
Finally, Kara comes out as a better than average entertainer. It has good performances especially by Dhanush and some instances of authentic interaction. Familiarity and structural inconsistency restrain it at the same time. It is a family friendly and a clean watch with no vulgarity, although it should be taken with moderated expectations.
Rating: 3/5
