Irandam Ulaga Porin Kadaisi Gundu Review

Along the way of watching this film, it struck me that the stray bombs from the World War 2, or “unexploded ordnance” device, as they are known technically, is a metaphor for the waiting-to-explode issues that are also highlighted in this film.

They may seem to be ordinary issues, one being the class differences and how it affects relationships…and the workers' exploitation by unscrupulous employers. Ordinary as they seem, these are big bombs that is going to explode in the mass destructive way one day, and the director cleverly lined out the various plots using the bomb itself as a MacGuffin (plot device, termed especially for Hitchcock films where an event, or even a thing or animal that actually moves the plot by exploring the surrounding characters’ reaction).

The plot in nutshell is when these bombs start to turn up, folks start to panic…especially the cop, except those who are gleefully ignorant about it which forms the thrill in the film.. It is the ignorant ones, the ordinary ones that literally drives the bomb with the audiences' heart ticking, especially the workers at a scrapyard that is central in this film….again, the recycled items themselves are symbolic of the folks surrounding who had to live on handouts and beg for the rightful remuneration from the employers.

The corrupt cop and unscrupulous bosses cliché and the related stereotypes aside, the film feels fresh. It runs along smoothly thanks to the performances of all the cast members and the humour that is the lubricant of an otherwise very rough film.

The leads, that is the trio comprising of Dinesh, Anandhi and Rythvika are superb, delivering the right amount of shots required at the right time for the film. Especially so by the girls, the former, demure, silently a strong-willed girl who just wants out of her orderly life and join a lorry drivers adventurous journey…and the later, an activist who risks her neck doing an expose of all those nasty things being done with those stray bombs.

The comedy comes mostly courtesy of Munishkanth, who is a supposed spy for the boss to check on Dinesh’s character. Their friction is a delight, to the point where we actually care for both of them. Oh, and there are some inevitable fight sequences, and again, we are not let in to the secret as to how the hero seemed to be able to take on multiple men with ease (though Dinesh do get beaten up quite a bit…a fact that is conveniently forgotten later), but this being Tamil movie, is likely to remind us that…hey, this Is Tamil movie, so shut up and accept it.

Other than that, this film zips along fine and the thriller element do raise up the tension level a notch or two up, but most of the time we stop caring whether it will explode or not….till the end, of course. A very, very interesting scene that involves the total devastation and a seminar.

And so,  I really liked the film. And I liked the fact that these bombs are a reminder of our past atrocities that we need to leave behind…especially the Indian community and their caste/class mentality. These are supposed to have been deconstructed and thrown away long agao…but they still are around and in the wrong hands. It will explode and destroy all those that the civilisation should be clamouring for – a society that is free of this class, caste shackles.

A very good job by the first time director, Athiyan Athirai, who also wrote it. And kudos to Producer Pa. Ranjith for making this project a reality...