Kondraal Paavum - riding a hobby horse

Kondraal Paavum

Tamil, 2023

Director: Dayal Padmanabhan

Actors: 

Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as Mallika

Santhosh Prathap as Arjunan

Easwari Rao as Valliyammal

Charle as Karuppusamy

Manobala

 Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐

Mallika's ambition is understandable, and her method is frighteningly tempting.  A total stranger with a briefcase of gold and cash seeks shelter. To get it Mallika has two options, win his love, or slit his throat. The first option fails, leaving her only with the latter. In this macabre solution to poverty, she finds support and assistance from her own parents. 

What I really like about this movie is that it is true noir.  And, in that vein, a higher justice, a poetic justice, comes into play. There is histrionic in it,  yes, but it is justice nonetheless, a rarity in Indian cinema. 

This, combined with some decent acting, makes Kondraal Paavum a good one time watch.