Adharma Kadhaigal (2024)

"Adharma Kadhaigal" is a 2024 Tamil fantasy thriller drama film written and directed by Kamaraj Vel and produced under the banner of Big Bang Movies. Vetri, Sakshi Agarwal, Ammu Abhirami, and Dhivya Duraisamy feature in the anthology film, interweaving four dark and disturbing stories against the urban backdrop of Chennai. The movie begins with "Nandhini" (Ammu Abhirami), a nurse with a dark past, who takes great care to plan revenge against the people who wronged her. As her tale is told, it establishes the tone of the movie: one in which trust is tenuous and danger lies around every corner. The story then moves on to other characters, such as a man struggling with depression, a woman betrayed by someone in authority, and a young man enticed into online gambling, losing his hold on life. Every segment is a grim reality in which crime, violence, and dishonesty are the norm. In one scenario, a young man who is addicted to online rummy resorts to kidnapping as a means to settle his debts. He kidnaps a young girl but treats her well, caught between desperation and a remaining sense of right and wrong. His journey from a free spirit to a guilty criminal illustrates the capricious nature of human decisions. But his personal battle is narrated more by way of voiceovers than events and thus remains one-dimensional in reaching out to the audience on an emotional plane. While "Adharma Kadhaigal" is a hard-hitting and intense portrayal of crime and survival, the impact is lost due to unbalanced writing. Some of the stories are hasty, with character developments lying dormant. Despite this, the movie is able to create a backdrop in which even an unofficial walk on the beach becomes risky. Director Kamaraj Vel's approach is bold, offering graphic but thought-provoking stories. However, the narratives come short, making the movie disturbing rather than engrossing.