KARIMEDU MOVIE REVIEW

Karimedu is the Tamil dubbed version of the Kannada movie Dandupalya, directed by Srinivasa Raj, which released in 2012. The movie is sort of a warning to the public to be alert and careful at home and watch out for the many anti-social elements which might be on the prowl.

Madurai and its surroundings are the scene of action here to suit the local sensibilities and we are shown a sizable gang from Dandupalyam, which goes about its nefarious activities with unfailing regularity. Their lifestyle is unsettling and the director has taken no half-measures in portraying their modus operandi as raw and graphic as possible. As a result we have plenty of violence and explicit visuals of murder, rape, sleaze and their dirty lifestyle. Unsuspecting women at home, are at the receiving end of all this violence.

We have an efficient cop who is on their trail and his efforts to nab the gang also take a chunk of the screen time.

Actress Pooja Gandhi is one among this dirty bunch of criminals and it sure takes guts from her side to get her hands this dirty. Her skimpy saree, the body language and the rustic makeup are all authentic and make her look the part. Nisha Kothari plays one of the gang’s unfortunate victims and the pretty lass looks ravishing. We have a little romance between her and Raghu Mukherjee - playing a newly wed couple.

Actors such as Ravi Kale and Makarand Deshpande get into the skin of their gangster characters and Makarand in particular succeeds in making us hate his wicked motives. Ravi Shankar as the cop is convincing thanks to his aggression and authoritative ways.

The entire movie carries a sepia tone and it suits the gritty and raw content. The background score by Arjun Janya is loud and dramatic. An item number towards the end showcasing Pooja Gandhi dancing along with her gang members turns out to be distasteful and too brash for our liking.

As the movie is based on real-life incidents, it lends the events on screen some credibility, even though they are really violent and disturbing. Kudos to the director and team for taking efforts to portray such an impactful set of events in a vivid manner. But, the final product isn’t meant for a mainstream audience and the ‘A’ certificate seems totally justified.