Murugan (Dhanush) is the only child pf his parents whom he loves deeply. As a child he adores his father Sivanesan ( Raj Kiran) who runs an idli shop in the village of Sankarapuram. The shop is not just a livlihood but his passion, which he treats as sacred, giving it his all, which makes him loved and respected by all the villagers.
But when Murugesan grows up, moved by his dreams, seeks to pursue his fortunes in the big wide world and his aged parents dont stop him. He makes it big in Bangkok as senior professional in tycoon Vishnuvardhan's (Sathyaraj) company and is even set to marry his daughter ( Shalini Pandey), a fact her power hungry, classist brother Ashwin ( Arun Vijay) despises.
But just a few days before the wedding, Sivanesan dies and Murugan returns to his village for the last rites, a step which changes the course of his life forever.
What happens there? What makes Ashwin and Vishnuvardhan furious with him? What dangers must Murugesan now face and overcome? What happens to the idli kadai?
Director and writer Dhanush pulls off a deeply moving film which tugs at the heart strings, bringing both a tear in the eyes and a smile on the face.
The film explores several themes- love for your land, respecting your roots, loving your parents, the significance of right upbringing, the importance of legacy, the true definition of love, the significance of social bonds in rural India (often lost in the city's concrete jungles) and the power of respecting and honoring your parents and their family legacy. And all this Dhanush manages to convey without a drop of preachy lines nor melodrama, nor any bloody violence nor vulgarity. But instead, you get each dialogue a gem a wonderful bgm by GV Prakash that elevates each scene beautifully, fantastic camerawork that etches scenes forever in the memory. The Enjaami Thandhaane foot tapping song with superb lyrics and visuals is a highlight and describes the values of the film in a nutshell.
Each cast member is aptly chosen. Dhanush stands tall with his sincere and soulful performance, hie eyes and subtle expressions doing the talking. The scenes with Raj Kiran are maginificent in conception and execution. The dialogues are superb and loaded with meaning and touch your heart.
Arun Vijay as Ashwin delivers a career best performance in a superbly written role. The character arc has significance in the story and is not just another villain. The face off scenes with Dhanush are just epic. The stunt scenes are superbly choreographed.
Nithya Menen is a delight to watch with her nuanced performance while Sathyaraj Parthipan, Shalini Pandey, Ilavarasu and Samuthirakani deliver noteworthy performances.
Though the plot may seem simple, it is the screenplay, narration, making, dialogues and above all, the stellar performances and Dhanush's direction which makes the film a memorable watch.
A feel good, emotional, family entertainer in the truest sense, proves Dhanush's versatality as director, actor, lyricist, writer and singer, yet again. Idli Kadai is a much -needed, heart melting film for all generations.
Rating 4.5 /5
Idli Kadai Movie Cast & Crew Details:
Produced by - Dawn Pictures and Wunderbar Films Pvt Ltd presents
Starring: Dhanush, Nithya Menon, Arun Vijay, Shalini Pandey, Sathyaraj, Rajkiran, Parthiban, Samuthirakani , Ilavarasu
Director: Dhanush
Produced by : Aakash Baskaran & Dhanush
Banner : Dawn Pictures & Wunderbar Films Pvt Ltd
Music : G.V Prakash Kumar
Editor : G.K Prasanna
DOP : Kiran Koushik
Action: Peter Hein
Art: Jackie
Dance Choreographer: Sathish
Stills:- Theni Murugan
Costumer:- Nagu
Makeup : B Raja
Costume Designer: Kavya Sriram
Publicity Design: Kabilan
Production Controller: D.Ramesh Kuchirayar
Marketing Head:- Manoj Maddy
PRO : Riaz K Ahmed - Sathish AIM
Music and Digital Partner - Saregama
Executive Producer: Sreyas Srinivasan
