Oru Kuppai Kadtai review: Gem of a story told earnestly by director Kali Rangasamy

Director Kali Rangasamy's Oru Kuppai Kathai hits you so hard that you find it difficult to believe that the film has been made by a debutant. The film, a gripping tale that is based on a real life incident, tells the story of an unfaithful wife from the perspective of her husband, an angle that has seldom been explored in Tamil cinema until now. The film, which engages you right from scene one and keeps you thinking about it even long after it ends, tells the travails and humiliation a man faces once society gets to know his wife has eloped with her paramour.

Kumar (Dhinesh), a scavenger working with the Chennai Corporation, is a sincere, hardworking man who is not ashamed of his profession. His only problem is that his mother has been looking to find him a suitable bride, but has been unsuccessful so far. The primary reason for his marriage not materialising is that he is a scavenger. After almost a seven-year long search, a wedding broker brings an alliance, which Kumar and his mother find appealing. The family of the bride, Poongodi (Manisha Yadav), resides in the beautiful hilly terrain of Valparai.

The broker takes Kumar and his family to meet the bride's family, on one condition - that Kumar not disclose that his profession. Unknown to Kumar, his friends promise the broker that they will ensure he does not disclose his profession to either the bride or her family.

The meeting happens and the broker, who accompanies them, lies to the girl and her parents, saying Kumar works as a clerk in an office. However, when Kumar hears this lie being uttered at the prospective bride's place, he calls her father to the side and tells him the truth.

He politely asks the bride's father to find his daughter another suitable match. However, the bride's father, impressed with Kumar's honesty, says he does not mind Kumar being a scavenger, but asks him not to disclose the details of his job to his daughter as she will be unable to appreciate his sincerity and honesty. The girl's father says he himself will tell his daughter about Kumar's profession at the right time and that until then, Kumar must maintain silence on the issue. Kumar reluctantly agrees and the wedding takes place.

After the wedding, Poongodi comes to her husband's place in Chennai and is in for a shock. She finds the slum, with its dirty surroundings, revolting and a difficult place to stay after having stayed in a picturesque place like Valparai all her life.

However, she adjusts and continues to live with her husband and his mother in their shanty. Life goes on peacefully for a while.

One day, three months later, Poongodi gets to know that she has conceived. She heads to the hospital for a check up when she sees her husband collecting garbage in one of the corporation trucks. She is livid and begins hating her husband for having lied to her about his profession. That is when she starts looking down on him and begins throwing tantrums.

Kumar tries to point out that he had not lied and that it was her parents who had asked him to maintain silence on the issue. However, Poongodi refuses to relent. Eventually, Kumar, his mother and Poongodi's parents all pacify her. But she is not entirely convinced. She returns to her mother's place where she delivers a child, but then insists that she will not return to Kumar's dirty residence in the slum with her child.

Desperate to make his marriage work, Kumar agrees to her conditions. To please his wife, he moves to a new costly apartment which his supervisor lends him. He then brings back Poongodi to the new apartment. Their neighbour at the new place is Arjun (Sujo Mathew), a tall, well-built, handsome IT professional who is exceptionally helpful and caring. Soon, Poongodi finds herself drawn to Arjun and in no time, the two begin to have a relationship. At one point, the apartment watchmen sees Poongodi with Arjun in a compromising position. Worried that her game is up, she elopes with Arjun and her child, leaving behind a shattered Dhinesh.

The trauma that Dhinesh undergoes is difficult to digest. His mother passes away unable to take the shock. He becomes an alcoholic, wandering the streets, searching for his wife and child. What happens to Poongodi and Arjun? Does Kumar get to meet Poongodi ever get to meet again? All these questions and more are answered in Oru Kuppai Kathai.

Director Kali Rangasamy must be congratulated for having made a hard-hitting film on the issue at a time when such incidents are becoming so rampant that it is fast becoming the norm. The film shows how a man, whose wife has eloped, suffers humiliation. In fact, there is a scene in the film where Kumar falls at the feet of the watchman, who gets to know of his wife's elopement, begging him not to disclose this to anybody.

The shock and the pain his family and friends suffer as a result of Poongodi's elopement is clearly and beautifully brought out in the film.

Needless to say, the film has some brilliant performances. The first of these comes from Manisha Yadav, who plays Poongodi. Dhinesh, a dance choreographer, who has won a National Award for Choreography, does justice to his role with a fine performance. True, there are scenes in which he could have done better but then, he hasn't done badly either. Moreover, considering the fact that this is the first time he is acting, these can safely be overlooked.

Overall, he plays the part of Kumar so convincingly that you almost forget that he has been a dance master. It is only when the songs come on that you realise how good a dancer Dhinesh is and remember the National Award that he has won for choreography.

Speaking of the songs and dance, the film has some fantastic music by Joshua Sreedhar. Be it the background score or the songs, the music is nothing short of brilliant and Joshua, who scored the ever magical theme song of 'Kadhal', comes up with some really mellifluous tunes in this film too. The camerawork of Mahesh Muthusamy also deserves praise. Yogi Babu has always impressed in the comedy department.

The film has just one problem and that is it looks to showcase the woman as a victim, despite she having cheated on her husband. The tendency to absolve women of all and any responsibility of wrongdoing, even when it is there for everyone to see, is something that Tamil film directors must seriously consider changing.

Other than that, Oru Kuppai Kathai is exactly the opposite of what its title suggests. It is a priceless gem, told in all sincerity and earnestness.