In a pivotal stretch of Idli Kadai, actor-director Dhanush’s protagonist Murugan relentlessly attempts to perfect his father’s time-honoured idli recipe. He follows the same routine as his father, uses the same ingredients, and keeps churning the grinding stone, but the idli just isn’t what a generation of Sankarapuram residents have grown up eating. Murugan fails again and again, and just when you begin to wonder what’s missing, the world-renowned chef gets it right — there was no secret ingredient. The calibration that worked is as abstract as the concept of kai manam (that the chef’s hands add an intangible something to the mix). Murugan’s idlis begin to resemble his father’s, and idli kadai finally starts to look as good as ever. Interestingly, this stretch operates as a synecdoche for how Idli Kadai unfolds.
Dhanush’s fourth directorial begins with showing what the idli shop means to his father Sivanesan (the ever-likeable Rajkiran), and why Murugan had to leave his humble hometown to pursue higher culinary studies. Now a popular chef at a renowned Bangkok hotel, Murugan is all set to get married to his boss and business tycoon Vishnu Vardhan’s (Sathyaraj) daughter Meera (Shalini Pandey). Vishnu’s son, a spoilt brat named Ashwin (Arun Vijay), hates Murugan’s guts, which is a feeling fuelled by his father constantly comparing the two of them. In a twist of fate, Murugan is forced to return to Sankarapuram, and following a series of unfortunate events, he decides to take over his father’s shop and cancel the wedding. This, of course, doesn’t rub Vishnu Vardhan well, and therein begins the story of Idli Kadai.
A still from ‘Idli Kadai’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
While it might sound quite straightforward within this setting, Dhanush seems to be missing out on a few pivotal nuances that feel irksome. Take, for instance, the phone call he has with his parents, who refuse to fly to Bangkok to attend his wedding. It lacks the attendant reactions you expect from parents about the wedding of their only son, who lives abroad. There are also many cliches — like the opening monologue that makes you wonder if it’s Murugan or Dhanush uttering it. The portions in Bangkok seem almost trite, and attempts to establish Ashwin as a godforsaken man-child just don’t work.
The film’s biggest problem is: can one not speak of the need to connect with one’s roots without antagonising those who felt the need to move out of their hometown in search of opportunities? Ashwin’s arc suggests that only a humble environment guarantees empathy and good parenting, while other dialogue paints those wishing for a better lifestyle as incapable of understanding their roots.
But despite the flaws, Dhanush’s film redeems itself, thanks to how well the emotional beats fall in place. Nithya Menen plays Kayal, a neighbour who took care of his elderly parents when he was abroad, and the way romance blooms between the two leaves you wanting. There’s a lot of comic relief as well, like the sequence in which Murugan, Kayal and their friend Ramarajan (Ilavarasu) struggle with their grinding stone.
Idli Kadai (Tamil)
Director: Dhanush
Cast: Dhanush, Arun Vijay, Nithya Menen, Rajkiran, Sathyaraj
Runtime: 147 minutes
Storyline: A popular chef working at a Bangkok restaurant wishes to reconnect with his roots and revive his father’s idli shop, but his employer stands in his way
The film’s strongest with its emotional core, and Dhanush deserves praise for how he writes Murugan’s arc. He goes from understanding his father’s love for the eatery, to realising that he needs to become Sivanesan to get his eatery going, and then when trouble lands at their doorstep, actualises and becomes an embodiment of all that his father stood for.
The arc Parthiban’s cop character takes, a line uttered by Ilavarasu about ‘poetic justice’, and a spark that Sivanesan’s kindness towards schoolchildren of the town ignites; all leave an indelible mark. A specific Black Panther-esque sequence, accompanied by GV Prakash Kumar’s stirring music, rightfully got the loudest applause in the hall. Prakash’s score, Kiran Koushik’s cinematography, and the seamless production design by Jacki, all make Idli Kadai delectable.
Arun Vijay and Sathyaraj in a still from ‘Idli Kadai’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Some of what seemed like flaws in the film’s second half — like the uninspired tone with which Murugan’s mother delivers news to him over phone — find renewed meaning, and Dhanush’s story somehow even manages to justify the opening quote.
Idli Kadai never promises to redefine the template. After NEEK, Dhanush seems to have dug deeper, perhaps wishing to taste the pleasures of a comfort meal, and this film is just that. It wishes to make you forget about fancy restaurant meals and remind you of a flavour you might have forgotten about, soothe you with its familiarity and leave you with a full heart.
It’s just good ‘ol, soft and fluffy idlis after all. You just need the right ingredients, and that intangible something from the chef.
Idli Kadai is currently running in theatres
Published – October 01, 2025 06:02 pm IST
