Kombuseevi Movie Review: A Silly, Over-the-top drama with honest intentions

Kombuseevi Movie Synopsis: Rokkapuli and Pandi plan to make big money by hook or crook, but behind their schemes remains years of pain and a dire need.Kombuseevi Movie Review: If good intentions were enough to guarantee strong outcomes, we would all be in different places. Kombuseevi, too, might have landed far better if sincerity by itself could carry a film. Inspired by real events, Ponram’s recent outing explores the lives of people from 12 villages displaced by a government dam project. Forced to abandon their homes, they struggle to make ends meet—a hard hitting subject that sadly finds little space when Ponram struggles to handle the issue with better clarity and consistency. Blending comedy with a serious socio-political conflict is never easy, but this isn't unfamiliar territory for Ponram. What he managed to do with Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam was address the issue of honor killing with the same unsettling normalcy that society treated it with. The film was lighthearted and riddled with jokes, but when it came to the central issue, it always focused on it with seriousness. In Kombuseevi, however, the same tonal gamble backfires. Instead of merely reflecting society’s indifference, the central tragedy is drowned beneath a barrage of jokes. There are moments, though, that briefly reveal the film Kombuseevi could have been. The story is centred around Rokkapuli (Sarathkumar), a village ruffian who bends rules for the betterment of people and Pandi (Shanmuga Pandian) whom Rokkapuli raises and mentors. Right from the first scene, we are shown how Rokkapuli is always there for his people and helps them by hook or crook. In one scene that pops out of nowhere, amidst a lot of other gags, we see the village people approach him for money. For someone who has always not hesitated to lend money, Rokkapuli realises that like everyone else, he has nothing left. This moment of helplessness conveys thousands of emotions that we don’t feel in the rest of the film’s runtime. Only because of such a sequence, we also manage to root for their crazy ideas of becoming rich, and suddenly, both the comedy & crime in the second half begins to fall in place. But such sequences are rare. Between all these qualms though, Ponram deserves credit for the fine writing of his characters – be it Rokkapuli or Pandi (Shanmuga Pandian), they aren’t one-note characters. For instance, Rokkapuli might take morally dubious paths but he had his personal ethics. For example, if the guardian deity doesn’t approve his idea, he gives up no matter what the profit is. When the humor works, it genuinely entertains, particularly in absurd sequences like the one involving a fake rain specialist helping them evade the police.Yet, much like its protagonists, the film treats serious conflicts with an unsettling casualness. This imbalance and confusion becomes Kombuseevi’s concern – we never understand if the film wants to be taken seriously or not. If you are in just for the comedy, Kombuseevi might still have something for you. But otherwise, it’s a film that’s unsure about its own ambitions.Written By: Harshini SV