Dhanush does not rewrite Kollywood format, instead he embraces it
A sour, pungent aroma dances its way to you, waking you up from your morning slumber, whispering: “Breakfast’s ready!”
You go about your morning routine, before going into the kitchen to see what your amma is up to.
She opens up the steamer, and the entire household is greeted with the smell of fresh idli. In between prepping for breakfast, you have a quick catch-up session with her before settling down at the dining table as she serves up the fluffiest idli with sambar and coconut chutney on the side.
The Indian experience can be surmised into these exact mundane mornings, in the kitchen before breakfast – just chatting away with your parent over meal prep, while they share pearls of wisdom… and sometimes nag.
That is the premise of Idli Kadai, Dhanush’s latest directorial and acting venture.
The idli shop
The movie opens with young Murugan (Murugan) and his father Sivanesan (Rajkiran) in their quaint little “idli kadai”(idli shop), making idli.
Sivanesan wakes up 4am every day, does his prayers and makes his way to his shop to start grinding the idli paste, using an aatukal (South Indian stone grinder).
His shop becomes a familiar constant for the villagers of Sangarapuram, a fictional village located in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, and that sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Fast forward a few years, all grown-up Murugan (Dhanush) believes his father’s shop could be turned into a franchise business, but Sivanesan is convinced his idli kadai runs well because he puts in the labour to make the soft rice cakes.
Disagreeing with his father, Murugan expresses his desire to move to the bustling city of Madurai to find success. That venture brings him to Bangkok, where he has finally found success, a girlfriend and an alliance with a powerful family.
However, the void created by leaving his hometown haunts him. Thus, when he learns of his father’s passing, Murugan drops everything and takes a flight home to Tamil Nadu. Mourning his father, he finds consolation in a place he was once eager to leave.
But, therein lies his challenge – while he found peace in familiarity, he still has to win the villagers’ hearts.
Soft idli, strong emotions
Right off the bat, Dhanush establishes that the idli kadai is more than just an eatery that serves good food – it is the heart of the movie. The use of ancient South Indian stone grinders (aatukal and ammi kall) foreshadows the emotional nuance of the film that is rooted in familial tradition and values.
It is clear Dhanush had a niche audience in mind when making the movie, and it is the people who had spent an ungodly amount of time and energy making idli paste using traditional equipment.
Downright to injecting humour during the laborious process, the director, who made his directorial debut with Pa Paandi (2017), is very intentional with every frame – as if he is writing a love letter to remind us of our humble roots.
The juxtaposition of two Indian families, from very different backgrounds and upbringings, is reflective of the current society that is divided into two economic statuses – the rich and “poor”.
Idli Kadai portrays the opposing values and principles that come with disparity in economic status without compromising the dynamic framing of a Tamil movie, instead it added nuance and finesse.
While we get to enjoy punchy dialogues and slapstick comedy that come with a regular Tamil movie, Idli Kadai maintains its movie integrity with honest storytelling about identity and reconnecting to roots.
It poetically implies that money may move worlds, but it is heart that moves people – and at the end of the day, it is people who are left when all that is tangible is gone.
Return to storytelling roots
With a star-studded cast – Nithya Menen, Arun Vijay, Samuthirakani, Rajkiran – the movie is grounds for a screen time tug o’ war, but instead stardom takes a back seat for the story to shine.
A becoming trend in Tamil movies, as seen in Meiyazhagan (2024), Vidaamuyarchi (2025) and Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 & 11 (2022 &2023). It almost seems like Kollywood is finally doing what it does best, letting the story breathe for three and a half hours, or so.
For an industry that once relied on the name of a mega star to sell a movie, the shift has forced directors and storytellers to adapt to the “story is king” ideology and write scripts with dynamic characters that allow actors to do what they do best – act.
From Nithya and Dhanush’s emotional honesty to Rajkiran and Samuthirakani’s commanding screen presence, Idli Kadai showcases South Indian actors’ acting panache that is often theatrical.
Alas, Dhanush’s Idli Kadai is a return to storytelling at its finest. It may not be a
mind-bending film that has the audience on their toes, and it does not try to be one. It is simply a story of moral values with cultural overtones – the kind you would find in a literature anthology and the kind you have probably lived.
With decent pacing, it is a family movie that is perfect to be enjoyed on a cosy Sunday with a plate of idli and some chutney.
Idli Kadai is now available for streaming on Netflix.
