Fantastic Fest 2010: Naan Kadavul Review

Pot-smoking death Gods will help you beg for change in the weirdest film at Fantastic Fest.

By Jordan Hoffman at 12:00 PM
September 29, 2010

http://www.ugo.com/movies/fantastic-fest-2010-naan-kadavul-review

Naan Kadavul Credit: Fantastic Fest

If you took Alejandro Jodorowsky's El Topo, added some of Werner Herzog's Even Dwarves Started Small, set it to a Bollywood beat and kept the running time to 150 minutes you'd have. . . .a film of really limited appeal.

Despite Naan Kadavul being an award winner in India, it baffled the hell out of a private audience here at Fantastic Fest. But. . . .baffled us in a was that generated much respect. I mean, a dope-smoking deity joins forces with cross-dressing, disfigured beggars as they sing and dance themselves out of the cycle of reincarnation. That's, like, so ready for a Bruckheimer remake, right?

Is this a genuine epic? A comedy? A freak show? Not long ago I became quite enamored of Bollywood films, and I can tell you that this is one that does not fit the usual template.

Please listen to my rambling-ish thoughts below, then, if you are still interested, hunt down Naan Kadavul. Since I must give it a grade, I'll hedge and give it a B. I enjoyed many scenes, I'm totally glad I have this picture under my belt, but, man, for long stretches it was an endurance test.