Kurangu Bommai

Plot

Kathir, a cab driver in Chennai, is the son of Sundaram, a longtime associate of the influential Thanjavur smuggler Ekambaram. He is in love with Viji, but her father rejects their marriage proposal after learning of Sundaram's connection to Ekambaram's criminal activities. Meanwhile, a pickpocket named Sindhanai, who suffers from insomnia, becomes obsessed with stealing one crore rupees after an astrologer claims that sleeping on a bed made of that amount will cure his condition.

One day, Kathir notices a middle-aged man carrying a distinctive bag marked with a monkey symbol. After Sindhanai steals the bag, Kathir recovers it, but the owner disappears before it can be returned. Hoping to locate him, Kathir posts a photograph of the bag on social media.

A flashback reveals the bag's significance. Ekambaram has arranged to smuggle a valuable golden idol worth several crores from Thanjavur to Chennai. He entrusts Sundaram with delivering the idol to a middleman named Sekar. After Sundaram arrives in Chennai, Sekar secretly decides to steal both the idol and the money from the deal. He falsely informs Ekambaram that Sundaram never arrived, making it look like his friend absconded with the idol. In reality, Sekar imprisons Sundaram, negotiates the sale himself, and receives an advance payment.

As Ekambaram travels to Chennai to investigate, Sundaram realizes Sekar's intentions. Despite their conversation about loyalty and friendship, Sekar murders Sundaram to protect his scheme. He then hides the evidence and prepares to escape with the proceeds from the idol transaction.

Back in the present, Kathir learns that his father has gone missing. After a series of clues—including Sundaram's discarded phone and inquiries about the mysterious bag—Kathir is contacted by one of Ekambaram's men, who mistakes him for a participant in the theft. Kathir is ordered to bring the bag to Sekar's residence.

At Sekar's house, Ekambaram confronts him about Sundaram's disappearance. When the remaining payment for the idol arrives, Ekambaram realizes he has been betrayed. A violent struggle follows, during which Sekar kills both Ekambaram and one of his associates before fleeing with the money.

While searching for answers, Kathir encounters Sadhasivam, an accomplice connected to the deal. Under pressure, Sadhasivam reveals the truth: after murdering Sundaram, Sekar dismembered the body and concealed the remains inside the monkey-marked bag. Horrified, Kathir retrieves the bag from a garbage dump and discovers his father's remains. Even Sindhanai, who had continued pursuing the bag believing it contained money, is moved by Kathir's grief.

Several months later, Sekar is living comfortably on his stolen fortune. Kathir tracks him down and confronts him in his apartment. Sekar admits that greed drove him to betray and murder Sundaram, showing no remorse for his actions. Although he believes death would be the worst punishment Kathir could inflict, Kathir chooses a different form of revenge.

Later, Kathir and Sindhanai are seen disposing of a bloodstained suitcase. Sekar is later revealed to have survived, but as a quadruple amputee. Confined to a bed and abandoned to a life of regret while his family falls apart around him, he is left to endure the consequences of his actions.

Production

Nithilan rose to fame after participating in the reality show, Naalaya Iyakkunar short film competition on Kalaignar TV. After being impressed by his work in the short film Punnagai Vaanginaal Kanner Ilavasam, actor Vidharth approached him to collaborate for a film in August 2015 and the pair subsequently decided to work on Kurangu Bommai. The director noted that he actively did not want regular actors to play typecast roles, so he selected veteran director Bharathiraja to play a pivotal role in the film, and production began during the following months. Film producer P. L. Thenappan was also signed on to play a pivotal role and shot for the film during May 2016. Actor Mammootty was brought in by the producers to release the first look poster of the film in mid-September 2016. Actor Arya and Director AR Murugadoss launched the teaser and trailer respectively.

Soundtrack

The film's music soundtrack was composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath, while the audio rights of the film was acquired by Yuvan Shankar Raja's U1 Records. The original album was released on 4 June 2017 and featured five songs.

Release

The film released on 1 September 2017.

Reception

Kurangu Bommai received positive reviews from critics.

A critic from The Times of India wrote that the film was "a strong contender for the best Tamil film of the year", noting that "the tightly-woven plot keeps us hooked for the entire duration" and that "the fabulous performances from the entire cast draws us deep into the story". The Deccan Chronicle called the film "a breath of fresh air", adding that "with a solid story and a very intriguing screenplay, Nithilan's perfect non-linear hyperlink narration of Kurangu Bommai has emerged as one of the best films of the year".

Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion wrote "Like Maanagaram earlier this year, Nithilan Swaminathan's Kurangu Bommai (Monkey Doll) comes with a caveat: you have to buy the coincidences. This film, too, is conceived as what has come to be known as "hyperlink cinema", but you could just as easily call it "leap-of-faith cinema". "

Further positive reviews came from Sify.com, who called it "a well-made crime thriller" and The New Indian Express, who noted it was "another efficient film from Vidharth's stable", making a reference to his two previous critically acclaimed films, Kuttrame Thandanai (2016) and Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu (2017).

The film performed well at the Chennai box office, with positive word-of-mouth reviews, making it have a better response than Vijay Sethupathi's Puriyatha Puthir (2017), which released on the same day. The film was later chosen to be showed at the Chennai International Film Festival.