Apparently,
director
Pandiraj
has
tried
an
action
packed
entertainer
for
the
first
time
in
his
career
as
a
director
through
Kathakali,
starring
Vishal.
Has
he
succeeded
in
dishing
out
a
successful
movie
in
this
particular
genre?
Continue
reading
our
movie
review
to
know.
Kathakali
Plot:
Kathakali
revolves
around
a
gruesome
murder
of
a
local
thug
named
Thamba.
A
search
is
on
to
uncover
the
murderer
and
the
key
to
solving
this
mystery
forms
the
crux
of
the
story.
Check
out
the
slides
below
for
a
complete
review
round-up
Onlykollywood
Onlykollywood
rated
the
movie
3.25/5
and
said,
"Overall,
Kathakali
is
a
bold
and
tough
one
night
story
which
has
enough
in
it
to
put
Vishal's
career
back
on
track."
Behindwoods
Behindwoods
rated
the
film
2.5/5
and
wrote,
"With
a
decent
production
value
and
efficient
work
from
cinematographer
Balasubramaniem,
Kathakali
has
no
complaints
with
regard
to
the
overall
quality
in
presentation.
Kathakali
doesn't
have
the
expected
intensity,
but
is
a
one
time
watch."
Indiaglitz
Indiaglitz
rated
the
flick
2.8/5
and
posted,
"Kathakali
dances
around
a
murder
convincingly.
In
all,
Kathakali
is
a
good
entertainer
that
slowly
builds
into
an
action
packed
thriller."
Lensmen
Reviews
Lensmen
rated
Kathakali
2.5/5
and
wrote,
"On
the
whole
Pandiraj's
Kathakali
is
an
average
entertainer
that
has
its
highs
in
the
treatment
part,
but
lost
rhythm
because
of
an
underwhelming
typical
climax
that
couldn't
keep
up
with
the
realistic
tension
the
film
created
till
that
point."
Galatta
Galatta
praised
the
movie's
lead
actor
Vishal
and
wrote,
"The
entire
film
is
on
his
shoulders
and
he
does
it
with
style." They
also
appreciated
Pandiraj's
attempt,
cinematography,
editing
and
background
score.
Heytamilcinema
Heytamilcinema
rated
the
film
2.75/5
and
said,
"Though
there
is
a
lot
of
twist
till
the
end,
but
a
strong
co-story
is
missed
for
the
individuals
taking
part
in
the
climax."
They
further
added,
"If
you
like
suspense
thriller
then
Kathakali
will
be
a
good
experience
to
you".
Readersmail
Readersmail
rated
the
film
highly
(75
percent)
and
wrote,
"will
be
a
winner;
safe
watch."
They
appreciated
the
movie's
screenplay,
background
score,
casting
and
cinematography.
Kollywood
Box
Kollywood
Box
wrote
on
their
official
social
networking
page,
"#Kathakali
review:
3/5
a
typical
murder
investigational
theme
and
the
conflicts
that
arises,
good
screenplay
and
Music
is
a
big
plus!"
MoviesGlitz
MoviesGlitz
rated
Kathakali
2.5/5
and
wrote,
"Overall,
‘Kathakali'
is
watchable".
They
went
on
to
praise
Vishal's
performance
and
his
chemistry
with
actress
Catherine.
They
however
said
that
the
editing
could've
been
more
precise.
Vishal,
comes
back
to
his
home
town
from
the
United
states
and
gets
involved
in
the
murder
of
Thamba.
Is
he
the
one
who
killed
the
most
famous
goon
of
Cuddalore?
How
does
he
get
himself
out
of
the
sticky
situation?
These
questions
are
answered
in
the
remaining
story.
Performances:
Vishal
is
out
on
the
big
screen,
doing
what
he
usually
does
best.
The
'action
hero'
of
Tamil
cinema
excels
in
fight
sequences
and
in
the
process
might
remind
you
of
some
of
his
previous
flicks,
which
is
the
only
drawback.
Female
lead,
played
by
Catherine
Tresa,
has
very
little
to
do
in
this
movie,
a
hallmark
Tamil
heroine,
with
her
lip-sync
not
being
an
exception.
Karunas
impresses
as
a
comedian
and
all
other
supporting
actors
have
delivered
what
is
required
of
them.
Technicalities:
Balasubramaniem,
yet
again
shines
with
his
brilliant
cinematography
and
is
one
of
the
positives
of
Kathakali.
Editor
Pradeep
E
Ragav
has
done
a
decent
job
in
keeping
this
thriller
close
to
2
hours.
'Hiphop
Tamizha'
Aadhi's
background
score
is
intriguing
and
hence
has
helped
Kathakali's
cause.
Director
Pandiraj
sure
knows
how
to
fabricate
a
thriller.
The
director,
known
for
presenting
high
quality
children
films,
will
be
signed
in
to
helm
more
action-thrillers,
post
Kathakali.
While
the
first
half
takes
its
time
to
settle,
the
interval
block
makes
you
sit
right
up,
making
way
for
an
interesting
second
half.
Though
the
latter
half
is
mired
by
uninteresting
sequences,
it
has
enough
in
it
to
keep
you
hooked
till
the
very
end.
Overall
View:
Unlike
the
dance
form,
Kathakali
isn't
all
out
fascinating,
but
surely
has
its
moments.