Start the week with a film: In 'Kottukkaali', a silence that speaks volumes

With Kottukkaali, PS Vinothraj confirms his reputation as one of Tamil cinema’s most exciting new talents. Although Kottukkaali (2024) does not have the mesmerising power of (2021), the superbly performed movie is still miles ahead of the average social drama.

Kottukkaali stars Soori as Paandi and Malayalam actor as the “adamant girl” of the title – a young woman betrothed to a man she does not love, who is paying the price for the one she does. After Meena’s affair with a lower-caste boy is revealed, Paandi’s clan and her own family believe that a spirit has possessed her.

Off they go to an exorcist on a warm day, winding through an arid landscape that has occasional blotches of colour. Throughout the expedition, Meena refuses to say a word.

The rural-set film has neither background music nor songs. Instead, Alagiakoothan’s sound design picks up the rattle of the rickshaw transporting the families and the clucking of a sacrificial rooster who is being taken along.

While the rooster is an obvious metaphor for Meena’s plight, more subtle cues point to the traditional beliefs and superstition that have shackled Meena and the other characters. The rich detailing in Vinothraj’s screenplay includes shots of the rooster regarding other similarly trussed-up birds, waiting...