In the movie Coffee With Kadhal, three brothers struggle to keep their family together as they navigate their messed-up romantic relationships.
Review of the film Coffee With Kadhal by Sundar C: The plot of Sundar C’s Coffee With Kadhal starts in 1998 with three brothers fighting over a girl at school. When the story jumps to the present, it reveals that they are still at odds with one another over their romantic relationships.
The younger brother Kathir (Jai), who is engaged to Diya (Malvika Sharma), is trying to marry her only because he has eyes on her father’s property while he is actually in love with Ab. The elder brother Ravi (Srikanth), who is married to Radhika (Samyuktha), has a one-night stand with Sara (Raiza Wilson), who ends up engaged to his brother Saravanan (Jiiva), who, after being betra (Ananth Nag).
If the film’s convoluted plot gives you the willies, its shoddy writing, stilted acting, and horribly dated dialogue only serve to heighten our unease. Consider these: “Wife-a wife-a paatha prechana dhaan. Wife-a life-a paaru!” “Attraction aayiram per mela varalam.. Aana affection oruthar kitta dhaan varum.”
Even so, the premise’s absurdity feels like the perfect material for Sundar C’s brand of comedy. However, for some reason, the director decides to approach this like a drama and tries to be subtle, only to succeed in the exact opposite way. This director struggles with restraint, and his attempt at a subtle, understated drama results in some very awkward moments, especially when the actors’ performances seem to have been put together from the NG takes. The oooos, aaaas, and mmmms in Yuvan Shankar Raja’s background score try to evoke emotions in us, but it only comes across as a vain effort.
When he returns to his signature comedy of confusion in the stretch leading up to the intermission, we can see how much the entertainment value of the movie increases. Even though the humor in these scenes doesn’t compare to what we’ve seen in the director’s previous movies, it’s clear how much more enjoyable the movie would have been if the director had chosen to go in this direction instead. Instead of serving us this tasteless concoction, he could have played the “This or that” game that the characters play when they are undecided and wisely chosen to embrace his over-the-top style of comedy.
