Kadaseela Biriyani movie review: Realistically brutal

Published: Jan. 4, 2022, 8:08 p.m.

To begin with, there’s nothing exciting about the basic plot of the movie ‘Kadaseela Biriyani’: just a man (Vijay Sethupathi) narrating a story about some villagers in rural South India. But as wide-angle shots take you through dense forests and the lives of the people, the story gets interesting and all of a sudden, you are hooked.

Rarely do I begin a movie review talking about cinematography, but Kadaseela Biryani is a deserved exception. The Tamil-language black comedy has exceptional cinematography courtesy of Azeem Mohammed and Hestin Jose Joseph.

The cinematographer duo uses every trick in the book to create the havoc necessary to tell a violent, brutal tale of three brothers seeking revenge for their father’s murder. From panning the camera to capture the exotic beauty of rural Kerala to following its characters with body cameras to taking the high route with drones to place the characters in their respective settings, the camerawork in Kadaseela Biriyani just mesmerizes you.

As for the story, a slain businessman’s three sons—the eldest Periya Pandi (Vasanth Selvam), the second Ila Pandi (Dinesh Pandi) and the youngest Chikku Pandi (Vijay Ram)—plan to avenge their father’s death by murdering Sathyan (Vishaal Ram), a Kerala rubber-state owner, at his home. Chikku, the youngest, is reluctant as his father had raised him away from his hotheaded brothers but the elder siblings are adamant and force him to become a part.

Their well-planned murder trip goes a bit awry when they find Johan (Hakkim Shah), Sathyan’s psychotic son, at home. The brothers had expected old Sathyan alone, but the presence of his son—an ex-convict with multiple murders that were not even reported due to the family’s influence—scares the wits out of them. Still, they do not want to leave the plantation un-avenged.

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The plot, screenplay and their execution in Kadaseela Biriyani have this simplicity that makes the film feel like it’s based on a true story. Our protagonists—the Pandi brothers—seeking to avenge their father are themselves flawed but like commercial cinema, the film does nothing to whitewash their image. Everyone in the film is in a gray area, adding to the violence and brutality of the incidents around the film.

When I talk about violence, I do not mean Tamil blockbuster violence with a huge stunt-crew and CGI. The rudimentary presentation of both physical and mental conflict is so realistic that it instills fear in the audience. For debutant director and co-writer Nishanth Kalidindi, the black comedy also becomes a platform to explore the extremist nature of people that makes them commit serious crimes. The director gets an apt group of actors who perform their roles without becoming larger-than-life: they stay grounded to their characters and settings, again making the film seem uncomfortably real.

Adding to the superb cinematography, writing/direction and acting are the film’s music. Although based in rural South India, the film’s background score does not make much use of traditional music heavily influenced by ethnic percussion instruments. The music rather is stylistically modern, not overbearing and for a Tamil film—fresh! Never had I thought that continuous beating of a single hi-hat from a Western drum kit could cause so much tension in a scene.

Who should watch it?

Kadaseela Biriyani is my first review of 2022 and I am glad I watched it without hearing or reading about it. With so little expectation at the start, my experience by the end was overwhelming. I would recommend it for anyone who trusts my selection of movies.