Movie review highlights: A rustic tale of raw emotions and real people

Arun Kumar Aravind's latest film 'Kaattu,' which is based on a short story by yesteryear director Padmarajan is in theaters today. The movie starts with a story set in Tamil Nadu where those who break the village traditions are subject to honor killing.
Meanwhile, in the story set in Kerala we are introduced to the machismo oozing Chellapan (Murali Gopy) and the naive, helpless Noohukannu (Asif Ali).
Chellapan takes Noohukannu into his gang of friends who make firecrackers. The story is set in the 60s and 70s and technology is mostly missing.
Prashant's frames and Deepak Dev's music meld into the rustic sepia setting thereby taking the viewer to the place where the story unfolds seamlessly. Arun Kumar Aravind doesnt rush the story and takes his time unravelling the virtues and vices of characters. Asif Ali and Murali Gopy stand out in their characters, while Unni P Dev too has a prominent role. Towards the end of the first half the Tamil Nadu and Kerala stories come together.
The movie's characters are raw and their emotions very real --- like Arun's previous movies 'Ee Adutha Kaalathu' and 'Left Right Left' --- he doesn't make any excuses to polish his characters and let them wear their rough edges as armour. The first half though is a tad long.