Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai Movie Review

Produced by Suresh Kamatchi and directed by Ram, Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai features a very small cast, including Nivin Pauly, Soori and Anjali.

This is essentially the story of three unnamed characters. A family man (Soori), returning to his hometown from Dubai, boards a nearly empty train on Diwali. Only after getting on does he realise that he has boarded a speeding train that is heading towards a potentially dangerous situation. There, he encounters another man who is fast asleep and claims to be immortal — a character portrayed almost like the Hulk (Nivin Pauly).

The film unfolds largely through the conversations, ideological clashes and exchange of memories between these two men. Another important character in their journey is a rat on the train. Meanwhile, She-Hulk (Anjali), the immortal man’s love, appears only through his memories and dreams. What happens to these characters and where their journey eventually leads forms the rest of the story.

The biggest strengths of the film are Nivin Pauly and Anjali. Their portions are presented almost like a dream or a fantasy world. The film occasionally transports us into different worlds and moments of love before bringing us back to the train journey.

Soori understands the responsibility of his role and delivers a sincere performance. However, perhaps because his character occupies the centre stage during the initial portions, there are a few moments where he appears slightly hesitant. Anjali, meanwhile, appears almost like an ethereal presence on screen after several films.

Ram’s films are known for their emotional depth, and this film is no exception. The film continues to explore emotions throughout. It is interesting that the concern a rat shows for its own life seems to receive more attention than the concern humans show for one another. But that is precisely the point Ram appears to be emphasising — whether human or animal, this world belongs to every living being.

With Nivin Pauly behaving almost psychotically throughout the film on one side, the train constantly moving on the other, and his stories about different worlds unfolding along the way, the narrative takes us along with it into an entirely different world.

Ram, who has previously given us films such as Kattradhu Thamizh, Tharamani and Peranbu, could perhaps have presented this story through a different and more accessible screenplay.

N. K. Ekambaram’s cinematography once again creates Ram’s world with beauty and wonder. Mathi’s editing and the visual effects deserve appreciation as well. The song Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai carries the special touch of the Ram–Yuvan combination, while the background score is equally impressive.

Ultimately, the film revolves around a simple yet profound idea: this world belongs to every living being. If that message had been conveyed with greater impact and clarity, the film could have become a more powerful work, much like Ram’s earlier films.

Nevertheless, Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai has undoubtedly become a film that is difficult for die-hard Ram fans to ignore.