Pasumpon Films' Tamil film Kalaippani (Morning Dew), directed by Rajesh Shelva, is the kind of venture that you'd think would be a sappy love fest. It's anything but that. It has got all the ingredients of a good thriller. Kudos to the team for attempting a story like this -- a rarity in our cinema.
To begin with, the first few scenes play a large part in raising your expectations: a young girl is dragged from a car at dawn, and is beaten to death. Who is the victim, and who is the killer? There's a story behind it -- and it turns out to be a good one.
The narrative moves back and forth within the space of a few days, throwing light on Samvedhana (Vasundhara), a perky college girl who's into filmmaking. She's got a loyal set of friends like Santhosh and Vishnu, a loving father JKR (Nasser), and a rambling house. From afar, it looks as though Sam, as she's lovingly called, does not have a blemish in her life.
As the story flits from the present (police milling around the murder site) to the past, to Sam's own life, you realise that the girl's life is very complicated. Her father is too protective; her best friend seems to be in love with her, while she disappears into an orphanage for great lengths of time.
Back to the present: why is Sam missing? Is she dead? What have her father and friends to do with her disappearance? What are the secrets surrounding this seemingly charming girl's life?
Newcomer Vasundhara seems to have done quite well for herself. Her dubbing is very good too. However, she looks too made-up.
Her friends are a fun lot, having nothing much to do, except perhaps, the guy who plays her lover. Nasser is his usual, emotional self, throwing out unexpected twists in the tale.
But it's clearly the screenplay that makes you sit till the end, eager to find out the real killer. Unfortunately, the director, though picking a rich plot, seems to have fumbled in his attempts to produce too many surprises. At some points, the movie runs around aimlessly -- and then flops to a dull finish. Barring these inconsistencies, it's quite a good ride.
Newcomer Sathish Ramalingam's music fits the bill. The title song, Ennamma Thozhi, is especially good, and rings pleasantly in your ears.
Quite a good watch, if you're willing to forgive the fumbles of a raw director.
Rediff Rating: 
