‘Idli Kadai’ Movie Review: Dhanush Serves a Predictable and Moralistic Dish of Melodrama and Ideals (LatestLY Exclusive)

Idli Kadai Movie Review: Dhanush’s Idli Kadai marks his fourth directorial in eight years, his third in two years, and his second release this year - an impressive feat for a star with a busy acting slate. While he stayed behind the camera for the frothy romcom Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam (2025), here he steps into the lead role as well, juggling star power with storytelling duties. ‘Idli Kadai’: Dhanush Expresses Gratitude to Fans for Overwhelming Love After Film’s Release (View Post).

Interestingly, both Raayan (2024) and Idli Kadai feature Dhanush running his own eatery, but the films couldn’t be more different in tone. In Raayan, he was a vengeance-driven hero with no qualms about bloodshed - even against his own kin. In the largely feel-good Idli Kadai, he preaches non-violence even when provoked. It’s an intriguing, if inconsistent, dichotomy - as though the filmmaker in him is trying to cater to two very different audiences.

'Idli Kadai' Movie Review - The Plot

Dhanush plays Murugan, the son of Sivanesan (Rajkiran), a staunch Gandhian who has run a humble idli shop in their village for decades. Sivanesan’s idlies - made with a batter prepared by himself by hand at 3 am every morning - are legendary in the locality. But Murugan dreams of scaling bigger heights. When his father refuses to franchise the eatery, unwilling to compromise on his personal touch, Murugan leaves the village in pursuit of his own ambitions.

Years later, we find Murugan managing the Michelin-starred restaurant of powerful businessman Vishnu Varadhan (Sathyaraj) in Bangkok. He’s engaged to Vishnu’s daughter Meera (Shalini Pandey), seemingly successful but quietly unfulfilled away from home. His fiancée’s arrogant brother Ashwin (Arun Vijay) despises him, bristling at his father’s admiration for Murugan.

Watch the Trailer of 'Idli Kadai':

On the eve of Murugan’s wedding, tragedy strikes: his mother (Geetha Kailasam) calls to inform him of his father’s passing. Murugan rushes back to his village with Meera sending their employee Ramarajan (Ilavarasu) to escort him. Grief deepens when, soon after performing his father’s last rites, Murugan also loses his bereaved mother. What follows is Murugan’s struggle to honour his father’s memory - a journey that becomes the emotional spine of Idli Kadai.

'Idli Kadai' Movie Review - Sentiments Served with a Heavy Hand

The first half leans heavily into melodrama as Murugan grapples with guilt over neglecting his parents. The villagers, especially his childhood friend Kayal (Nithya Menen), chastise him for his absence. Composer GV Prakash Kumar works hard to elevate these sequences with stirring music, but the sentiment often feels kitschy, weighed down by clichés.

The film frequently moralises: the familiar 'money doesn’t buy happiness' trope and the notion that true joy lies in returning home - one almost expects AR Rahman to burst into the scene singing "Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera" or in Tamil, "Unthan Desathin Kural". There is also this popular movie cliche of how machine-grinded ingredients is no match for what is done by hand (which made me recall how the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen criticised this practice). The female leads are painted with class-coded stereotypes: Meera is portrayed as self-absorbed, worried about her wedding rather than her fiancé’s grief, while Kayal embodies the nurturing village belle. Unsurprisingly, you can guess where Murugan’s heart ultimately settles.

Murugan’s arc of reopening his father’s idli shop to uphold his legacy unfolds predictably. His repeated failures (thankfully given a touch of humour with some drama) give way to success after a dream sequence in which his late father inspires him. Yet one moment lands beautifully: Murugan awakens from that dream to find a newborn calf - born after his father’s death - gently nudging him.

'Idli Kadai' Movie Review - Ahimsa vs Himsa

The second half shifts gears, exploring Murugan’s attempt to embrace his father’s Gandhian principles of ahimsa (non-violence). This resolve is tested when Ashwin arrives in the village, seeking revenge after Murugan jilts his sister. The simmering conflict escalates into violent confrontations, prompting Murugan to question whether he’s truly living by his father’s ideals.

On paper, this philosophical conflict makes Idli Kadai intriguing - even Ashwin felt like a layered antagonist (at least initially), humiliated by Murugan’s refusal to retaliate. Unfortunately, the screenplay undermines its own moral compass when Murugan conveniently abandons his pacifist stance to thrash Marisamy (Samuthirakani), a rival who feels shoehorned in as a villain purely to heighten drama. ‘Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam’ Movie Review: Pavish Narayan and Mathew Thomas’ Bromance Steals the Show in Dhanush’s Spirited Romcom.

Ashwin’s ego-driven villainy promised nuance but ends up predictable. At one point, Aadukalam Naren’s character wryly asks why Ashwin’s father doesn’t simply slap him instead of mollycuddling him, and despite the film's espousal for non-violence, you know exactly how this track of revenge is going to end thanks to that one dialogue. The film ultimately opts for a tidy feel-good finale where Murugan’s ideals prevail, if only on the surface.

'Idli Kadai' Movie Review - The Performances

What consistently works is Dhanush’s dependable performance - steady and earnest, even when his direction feels workmanlike. His scenes with a chirpy Nithya Menen lack the spark of their Thiruchitrambalam pairing and follow expected beats, yet their chemistry remains charmingly compelling.

Sathyaraj delivers as the proud, indulgent patriarch, though his character is stuck in a single note. Arun Vijay portrays Ashwin’s arrogance convincingly, but the role feels undervalued for a star like him. Shalini Pandey is given little to do as Meera, although the narrative makes a late, if half-hearted, attempt to humanise her. R Parthiban, as a corrupt cop harbouring an inexplicable grudge against Murugan, is at least granted one surprisingly redeeming scene that injects humour and reason.

'Idli Kadai' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Idli Kadai serves up a feel-good concoction of family melodrama, moral lessons, romance and some humour, but not all its ingredients blend smoothly. The storytelling often feels weighed down by clichés and tonal inconsistency, yet bolstered by Dhanush’s earnest performance and flashes of warmth and wit. Works for those who love emotional drams if you don’t mind some predictable seasoning of cliches.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 04, 2025 01:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).