Movie Review: ‘Inga Naan Thaan Kingu’ – A Disorganized Blend of Random Concepts and Lackluster Comedy

The movie ‘Inga Naan Thaan Kingu’ kicks off with a prologue that sets the stage with a series of terrorist bombings. We are then introduced to Vetrivel, played by Santhanam, and his comical attempts to find a suitable partner for marriage. However, the story takes a sudden turn when new characters enter the scene, turning the whole affair into a slapstick comedy. To add to the chaos, the film even incorporates the classic trope of carrying a dead body, dragging the audience along for the rest of the story. While this cornucopia of randomness may work for comedies that thrive on chaotic energy, ‘Naan Thaan Kingu’ falls short due to its incoherent plot and lackluster humor. As a result, we are left with two hours of nothing but chaotic randomness.

Interestingly, despite the presence of vaguely-defined ‘terrorists’, Santhanam’s character remains the most unlikable person in the story. Vetrivel goes to extreme lengths, even buying an apartment for 15 lakhs, just to meet society’s perceived expectations of an eligible bachelor. His aggressive pursuit of a bride is solely driven by his desire to receive a dowry of 15 lakhs and repay his debts. While it’s possible to derive humor from a deeply flawed protagonist by highlighting their flaws through jokes, the film seems to assume that we should still like Vetrivel and sympathize with him. Thambi Ramaiah and Bala Saravanan portray Vetrivel’s father-in-law and brother-in-law, respectively. While their comedic moments are hit-or-miss, their exaggerated antics become increasingly over-the-top and eventually descend into sheer absurdity by the end. Throughout the film, Santhanam attempts to inject meta humor by referencing real-world events, his own films, and even commenting on the casting choices and screenplay flow of the movie.

Some of the meta references in the movie are quite refreshing. For example, when Vetri gets caught by the terrorists, he looks at Gopi Prasanna’s character and says, “If he had given him a double acting role, things would have turned out like this.” However, as the movie progresses, the meta references start feeling desperate to connect with the audience. This desperation becomes even more evident in the scenes where Santhanam’s character uses the word ‘cringe’ to criticize Thambi Ramaiah and Bala Saravanan’s characters. Before the jokes even have a chance to land, Santhanam jumps in to tell you how ‘cringe’ they are. The overall premise, setting, and the long list of supporting cast members, along with the brand of wacky adventure, feel outdated. Even with a disjointed screenplay, the dialogues and humor could have saved ‘Inga Naan Thaan Kingu,’ but unfortunately, that’s not what happened. D Imman delivers decent tunes in his signature style, but even the composer succumbs to the film’s desperate attempt to connect with the audience by including a mashup of all the viral ‘funny’ dialogues during a chase sequence. As the film haphazardly jumps from one plot thread to another, we can’t help but wonder if it has anything meaningful to say and how the title connects to the overall theme of the story, or if there’s even a theme at all. Some might argue that it’s best not to dissect a mainstream comedy film. However, at the very least, the humor could have worked or the story could have felt like a coherent whole. Instead, we’re left with scattered moments of chuckles amidst a two-hour-long succession of random plot threads.

‘Inga Naan Thaan Kingu’ is a bit of a mixed bag. The screenplay feels a bit jumbled, with random ideas thrown together, and the humor can be a bit lacking at times. While the supporting characters try to bring some laughs with their physical comedy, Santhanam, unfortunately, seems disinterested and brings down the overall quality of the film.

The movie tries to bombard us with one joke after another, attempting to make us laugh with every dialogue. While some lines do manage to crack a smile, it feels more like a numbers game rather than genuine humor. However, as the film progresses, the tedium sets in, and we start to remember the long stretches of dull moments more than the occasional jokes that made us laugh.

Director: Anand Narayan
Cast: Santhanam, Priyalaya, Thambi Ramaiah, Vivek Prasanna, Bala Saravanan
Rating: 1.5/5