
Cast: Sharwanand, Amala Akkineni, Ritu Varma, Ramesh Tilak, Sathish
After meeting a reclusive scientist named Paul (Nasser), who promises to transport them back in time 20 years in exchange for a favour, three friends named Aadhi (Sharwanand), Pandi (Ramesh Tilak), and Kadhir (Sathish) are given a second shot at life. For Aadhi, a guy who has had a hard time getting over his mother’s death, this is a no-brainer (Amala Akkineni). The death of Aadhi’s mother was a tragic loss for him, and he wishes he could change the past to prevent it. The film takes a humorous approach, but it does not trivialise Pandi and Kadhir’s causes: Pandi wants his younger self to prioritise school so he doesn’t become a real estate broker, while Kadhir wants to travel back in time and win over a former classmate. These missions have the same transformative power on them that Aadhi’s had on him.
Amala does a fantastic job. Kanam’s heart is the love shared by a mother and her son, and the moments between Amala and Sharwanand may be both beautiful and heartbreaking. Let us consider the moment in which the mother recalls the first time she heard her son sing. In an effort to keep the viewer’s attention only on the feelings elicited by the frames, language, and acting, the film makes no use of gimmick or dramatic shots. Aadhi’s girlfriend Vaishnavi, played by Ritu Varma, doesn’t have a tonne of screen time but ends up being crucial to the plot.
Shree Karthick makes a wonderful first impression with Kanam. He’s made a captivating movie, and he even gave his favourite actor some love (in endearing ways, like making their cameos integral to the plot). It is the most heartfelt memorial to his mother’s memory.