Kaafi Thota movie review: A thriller with a good courtroom drama

Ratings: 3
Kaafi Thota arrives at a time when content-oriented movies are gaining market like never before in Sandalwood. With TN Seetharam wearing the director's cap after a long gap, one would easily pin high hopes on the murder mystery and thankfully it is bound to work well with the multiplex crowd.

The movie draws the viewers' attention from the word go with a murder. A wandering soul and music therapist (Rahul Madhav) comes to an estate owned by Mythili (Radhika Chetan) for a holiday. With his free spirited nature, he wins the heart of her family and others, but the heroine ignores him.

Her initial dislike towards him starts changing gradually, but the heroine fears falling in love with him as she had a failed relationship. A flashback shows her romance with lawyer (Raghu Mukherjee) and she is yet to overcome the break-up. The story takes a twist once he returns followed by a murder. Kaafi Thota is a whodunit thriller and also a triangular love story, which is about love and betrayal.

TN Seetharam has an interesting story in hand. The best part of the movie is that it holds the suspense element till the climax. But Kaafi Thota moves at a leisurely pace in the first half and this turns out to be a major drawback. From the post-interval segment till the end, it keeps a good flow, resulting in a positive end result. The court-room scenes should not be missed. 

The comedy scenes fail to work and TN Seetharam's portions, on a rare note, could have been better. Rahul Madhav and Raghu Mukherjee have equally important roles and have done justice. The story is centered around Radhika Chetan and she is charming. Samyukta Hornad makes the best use of the scenes that come her way.

The biggest hero of the movie is Ashok Kashyap, who is brilliant behind the camera. His rich visuals backed by Anoop Seelin's flawless background score gets full marks.

Overall, a fair bit of trimming is required for a more engaging viewing experience. Nonetheless, the film entertains the audience with its suspense elements and the court-room drama and multiplex audience will love the content.