Fantastic Fest 2010

Every year, Fantastic Fest programs some films that don’t neatly fit within any genre. These films are chosen because they are so surprising and mind-blowing that we feel absolutely compelled to show them. One such work is Bala’s NAAN KADAVUL—a music-infused Tamil epic about a dope-smoking Vedic superman and a group of beggar slave children.

On the advice of astrologers, a man abandons his only son in the city of Kasi. Many years later, the man returns to Kasi to find his long-lost son. The family reunion is not so simple because the boy grew up to be an Aghori, a member of a centuries-old Hindu sect. The once innocent child has become a long-haired lunatic (played by a man simply known as Arya) who sleeps in graveyards, eats the remains of cremated bodies, and beats people up. The Aghori speaks infrequently—he only opens his mouth to chant, proclaim himself as God, and smoke copious amounts of dope.

This man-god eventually crosses paths with a group of severely deformed kids who were turned into beggars by an evil slave driver. Although the Aghori antagonist eventually comes to the beggars’ aid, his idea of mercy is as unorthodox as his notions of hygiene.

Naan Kadavul renders this fantastical story, which draws on Hindu esoteric traditions, with surreal flair. As is the case with most Indian movies, there are numerous musical interludes. However, rare is the Bollywood work that features a tranny doing a seductive song-and-dance routine or crippled kids singing about the depths of their karmic misery. Naan Kadavul is a unique work that will leave audiences spellbound. (Rodney Perkins)