Thaai Kizhavi movie review: There’s a particular kind of old woman Tamil cinema loves to put on screen, either a god-fearing, self-sacrificing mother who exists only to suffer quietly, or a scheming matriarch making life miserable for her daughter-in-law. Both versions have one thing in common: they reduce older women to a plot function. Thaai Kizhavi, the debut film of director Sivakumar Murugesan, opens by acknowledging that tired tradition and then firmly walks away from it.Pavunuthaayi (Radikaa Sarathkumar) is seventy-something, paralysed in bed, and still the most powerful person in the room. She’s a moneylender who has built her own life by her own rules, estranged from her three sons, feared by her village, and entirely unbothered by anyone’s opinion of her. When she falls critically ill, her sons come running, not to hold her hand, but because rumour has it she’s been quietly sitting on a small fortune in gold. That’s the setup. What the film does with it is where things get interesting. What follows is a mix of family drama, dark comedy, and something that quietly becomes a film about what it means to truly value the women who built everything around you.Radikaa Sarathkumar carries Thaai Kizhavi on her shoulders, and does so without breaking a sweat. Her character is bedridden for a large portion of the runtime, and yet her presence dominates the screen. Even in stillness, she communicates authority. It’s the kind of performance that reminds you why experience in front of the camera is irreplaceable.The supporting cast is well-chosen and given room to breathe. Singam Puli plays an obsessive Kamal Haasan fan, and his character earns genuine laughs without feeling forced. The three sons, played by Singam Puli, Aruldoss, and Bala Saravanan, are convincingly selfish without being over-the-top villainous. There’s also a homeless man who has conversations with the village deity Karuppan that are among the funniest, and oddly the most politically sharp, moments in the film.What works particularly well is how Murugesan handles humour. It doesn’t feel manufactured or placed at calculated intervals. The comedy flows from character and situation, which is harder to pull off than it looks. The film also uses classic Tamil film songs, drawn from various eras, in a way that actually adds to the storytelling rather than just functioning as nostalgic decoration.The first half is lighter and funnier. After the interval, the film slows and shifts tone, building toward a climax that carries emotional weight. Some of the character turnarounds feel a little convenient, and the second half takes its time getting where it’s going. But the payoff is sincere enough that it doesn’t feel like a cheat.Technically, Thaai Kizhavi is well-made without being showy. Vivek Vijayakumar’s camera work gives the village a warm, lived-in quality. Nivas K. Prasanna’s background score knows when to be quiet, which is more than you can say for most Tamil films. San Lokesh’s editing keeps things moving in the first half and finds the right pace for the slower second.Story continues below this adAt its core, Thaai Kizhavi is a film about how families take strong women for granted until they’re suddenly not there. It makes that point without a lecture. The film makes the point that when a family eventually falls apart, it’s often the woman at the center who had been holding it together all along, and nobody notices until she’s gone. The message lands because it’s embedded in the story, not announced.For a debut director, Sivakumar Murugesan shows a lot of confidence. He knows what kind of film he’s making, he trusts his cast, and he doesn’t try to do more than the story calls for. That kind of restraint is rare.Also Read: Accused movie review: Konkona Sensharma anchors a MeToo drama that stays on the surfaceThaai Kizhavi is a well-written, well-acted rural entertainer that works as a comedy drama, and leaves you thinking a little after the credits roll. Radikaa Sarathkumar reminds everyone why she belongs at the center of a film. A solid watch.