MOSCOWIN KAVERI MOVIE REVIEW

Starring: Rahul Ravindran, Samantha,
Santhanam, Seeman.
Direction: Ravi Varman
Music: S.Thaman
Production: D.Ramesh Babu

Acclaimed cinematographer Ravi Varman debuts as a director in Moscowin Kaveri, a title that connects the Russian river Moskva with the South Indian River Kaveri. MK was in the making for quite some time and has finally hit the screens and its anachronistic feel can be perceived in many places. Although this film is the debut vehicle for the cute Samantha and the handsome Rahul Raveendran, the former is already known to movie buffs, thanks to VTV and Baana Kathadi.

The fast-paced lives of software professionals, their colorful lifestyles and impulsive behavior is the premise of MK. Moscow is the name of the hero and you guessed it right, the heroine is Kaveri. The title is justified out right. Kaveri is from village but is a city dweller with a plum software job in Chennai. Moscow is also a village boy but appears to be a rich orphan and is also a techie in the city.

Moscow sees Kaveri and it is instant love. He pursues her but is rejected. However, after a couple of melancholic moments and a seemingly remorseful act by the hero, Kaveri comes to his village and accepts his love. The reason is flimsier than a muslin cloth – her friend says that it is hard to find a good boy and it is sensible to accept someone who wants you rather than the other way round. Now, haven’t you heard this innumerable times in so many films?

Anyway, the couple gets together and Kaveri moves in with Moscow as she finds it difficult to live without him. They are live-in partners which do not go well with the neighborhood (some streak of reality here) and they buy a beautiful mansion in ECR in the blink of a well curled eyelash. The ride after this for the couple is bumpy and what happens to them after this is narrated by bringing in a villain Harshvardhan (YG Mahendran’s son) accompanied by a few lessons on life.

Director Ravi Varman scores well with his lens but flounders as a director with his inconsistent narration. Most of the scenes are illogical, ambiguous and appears disjointed. Was the film edited too much? The characterization of lead artistes lacks depth and is jumpy. It is hard to believe a girl with a rural background to go in for a live- in relationship and do a complete somersault in the climax with a mere sentence from her dad.

Rahul Raveendran looks every bit the suave software professional. Samantha is fresh and emotes well too. Harshvardhan, as the most feared criminal, does not have much work except walking around in debonair suits and a few weapons in a short duration. Why is Santhanam there? With his hideous wigs and loud dialogues, he tries to tickle us. His track is completely disjointed. He appears to be reasonably rich but is a van driver. Come on, Ravi Varman, please credit your audiences with some amount of intelligence!

Music director Thaman impresses with his work. The lyrics of some of the songs clearly indicate its old timeframe. Nee Ondrum Azhagi Illai number reminds of Aval Appadi Onrum from Angadi Theru. The lively gore gore number is missing in the film.

The visuals are appealing and are very aesthetic, thanks to cinematographer Ravi Varman. Although the theme is around live-in relationships, the director has delivered it clean sans any vulgarity. The major plus point in the film is its short duration (100 minutes) and thankfully the ordeal comes to an end soon.

Verdict – Parched River!