Inga Naan Thaan Kingu Movie Review: Santhanam returns with some solid laughs

Inga Naan Thaan Kingu Movie Review: Vetri (Santhanam), our protagonist, isn’t exactly Mr. Lucky. He’s pressured to find a wife, is stuck in an unenvious job at a matrimonial company, and is drowning in debt thanks to a loan he took from his boss (Vivek Prasanna). His quest for a suitable partner leads him straight into a hilariously disastrous marriage scheme (brokered by late Manobala), leaving him saddled with an eccentric royal family to lodge and feed. Marital bliss? Not so much. Having tied the knot with Thenmozhi (Priyalaya), Vetri has to deal with her bumbling father (Thambi Ramaiah) and brother (Bala Saravanan), all while trying to keep his head above water financially. A company party turns into a catastrophe and leads to Vetri’s termination.

Fate throws a ludicrous twist into the mix. A terrorist (a look alike of Vivek Prasanna) dies in Vetri’s apartment due to a series of comically improbable events. Vetri and his equally clueless in-laws dispose of the body to a middleman. There’s breaking news of a ₹50 lakh reward for the capture of the terrorist, and Vetri and his family see an opportunity to turn their misfortunes around. Thus begins a turbulent heist, with several parties wanting to claim that corpse.

Inga Naan Thaan Kingu is your typical Santhanam fair – situational comedy revolving around a bunch of dimwits. What makes it tick is Ezhichur Aravindan’s original scripting. The scenes are just a setup – doesn’t matter how illogical they are, and in a way, the audience too don’t care for such stuff. So it’s all about whether the jokes can be fresh or not. Some of them land, like when Vetri is offered a cashew and an almond at his wedding to keep up with zamindar standards, while being conned. The beginning was a riot, filled with a handful of sidesplitting scenes.

The story veers off track in the second half with drastic turns. The parts involving the brother-in-law pretending to be a dead body are hilarious, but the rest are hit or miss. You get Kamal Haasan’s Panchathanthiram vibes, with all the hiding of the dead body and funny moments around it.

The combo of Santhanam, Bala Saravanan, and Thambi Ramaiah enhanced the movie. Rather than stealing the spotlight, Santhanam gives other comedians the space to deliver their jokes. After a considerable time, Munishkanth’s farce as Body Balaraman actually works. There are a few familiar faces like Seshu and Maran who have small appearances but shine. Priyalaya looks pretty and dances well. Vivek Prasanna gets to play a dual role and he makes for a silly corpse.

Nevertheless, Santhanam is the star of the show. He’s lively and in sync with the others who are attempting to bounce off his energy. His delivery is still up there.

Imman’s songs are adequate, and Om Narayan has delivered good camerawork. At a time when the heat just sucks the life out of you, one thirsts for some good timepass in an air-conditioned room. Inga Naan Thaan Kingu fulfills that.

Written By: Abhinav Subramanian