‘Kadaisi Vivasayi’ movie review: M Manikandan’s poignant ode to the old-fashioned farmer

The ‘Kakka Muttai’ filmmaker’s fourth film, that also stars Vijay Sethupathi in a fantastic cameo, is an engaging combination of realism and surrealism

(Spoilers below)

There is something different about director M Manikandan that sets him apart from his peers, if his body of work — Kaaka Muttai, Kuttrame Thandanai and Aandavan Kattalai — were to be considered. His debut film Kaaka Muttai was a masterpiece: a children-centred film that uses a Satyajit Ray-like humanist realism to make a searing point on consumerism and class differences. Aandavan Kattalai was a light-hearted take on aspirations, but also depicted its story and characters as close to reality without giving up on humour and cinematic sense. This writer hasn’t seen Kuttrame Thandanai but just the two other movies were enough to whet the appetite of viewers who had to wait months for the release of Kadaisi Vivasayi (The Last Farmer), Manikandan’s fourth film and perhaps the most poignant of the lot.

.