Movie – Kaaka Muttai ( Crow’s egg)
Director – Manikandan
Cast– Ramesh, Vignesh, Aishwarya Rajesh, RJ Ramesh, Yogi Babu
Genre – Drama
Release Year – 2015
***
Kaaka Muttai
Centered around a slum in Chennai, the story describes how a pizza joint changes the lives of two young kids living in the slum. The story begins with a small plot of land being sold to construct a pizza joint. This ground happens to be the playground for the slum kids. Simbu inaugurates the pizza joint, and the sight of the Pizza tempts the kids at that moment. These two kids earn the nickname of Chinna Kaaka Muttai and Periya Kaaka Muttai due to their inability to afford regular eggs, which makes them resort to drinking crows egg. Their mother (played by Aishwarya Rajesh) has the difficult task of managing the home and shuffles between home and the lawyer’s office to get her husband out of jail. The grandmother’s character is as important as the mother’s and two kids. The combination of the four has ruled the first half.
The burning desire to get a taste of Pizza grows intense, and they resort to different activities such as stealing coals from the railway yard, ferrying drunkards from the bar to their homes, distributing pamphlets, and so on. After collecting the required amount, they are thrown away by the Pizza joint watchmen who call them ‘Kuppathu Pasanga’ ( Slum boys). Their friend Palarasam, the railway lineman who also allows them to take(steal) coals from the railway yard, informs them that they need to buy new clothes to enter the joint. After arranging the necessary amount and the clothes, they arrive back at the pizza shop only to be thrown out again. This time, they are deeply humiliated and beaten by the shop manager.
The incident is recorded on a mobile phone, and somehow, two small-time rogues or mischief-mongers, to be precise (played by RJ Ramesh and Yogi Babu), get hold of this video. They etch an excellent plan to bring down the pizza joint by planning to get a ransom from the pizza owners. A series of events take place, including the two boys’ disappearance, their search, their grandmother’s sudden death, and a protest plan. But what happens when the guys are found is something that would drag a smile on your face. This is a heartwarming story that is not only intriguing but also will make you ponder. It will melt your heart and make you feel for such innocent kids who don’t have much in their life but dreams. Yes, dreams don’t come up with a price tag.
Aishwarya Rajesh, who plays the mother’s role, has lived it up. She has justified the role of a mother. The railway linesman role is an important character that added another feather to the plot. In short, Manikandan has managed to put up an excellent show with not-so-well-known actors. The ending is exciting, and it will make you smile. You will laugh at several instances, such as the scene where the grandmother tries to cook a pizza out of dosa and places where the kids try to sell a stray pet dog for 25 grands. Another important role was that played by RJ Ramesh and Yogi Babu. I would see a Senthil and Goudamani out of the two. Their chemistry glowed perfectly, not to mention the two little boys who did their task neatly and flawlessly. Chinna Kaaka Muttai was too cute. I should say that! Not to forget the music by GV Prakash – so pleasant to the ears, adding value to the team. An incredible team, to be honest!
This movie gives a solid and meaningful message to the world. Generally, people do not perceive those living in slums perfectly. We should remember that even though they are humans, they have the right to wish. That may be beyond their reach, but everyone has the right to dream. The boys almost give up on their dreams of getting to taste the Pizza, but for that, they toiled hard. If you have dreams in your eyes, then no one can stop you from reaching them. This movie gives an insight into the lives of people living in the slums in adverse conditions, their struggles, and the quest for existence and survival!
I give 4.5/5 to Kaaka Muttai for the marvelous story. This is refreshing, and the characters will stay on your minds forever. At least they made me smile! The movie has been screened at several movie festivals and has won the following awards till now.
- National Film Award for Best Children’s Film
- National Film Award for Best Child Artist – Ramesh and J. Vignesh
- Audience Award for Best Feature at the Indian Film Festival Los Angeles
- Best Actor Award at the Indian Film Festival Los Angeles – Ramesh and Vignesh
Here is the trailer for the National Award-winning movie – Kaaka Muttai.
