‘Cuckoo,’ scores with its fresh story borrowed from real life. 

By Mythily Ramachandran

Love is blind is an oft repeated phrase, but in ‘Cuckoo,’ the lovers are blind too. 
Visually impaired Thamizh (Dinesh) is part of an entertainment group and as a singer he is known for his rendition of music maestro Ilayaraja hits. He meets Sudhandhira Kodi, (Malavika Nair) who is also visually impaired. After the initial tiff between the two, Cupid plays matchmaker.  And, as the bond grows, Thamizh and Kodi look forward to their meetings every-day at the railway station. Thamizh recognizes Kodi’s arrival by her voice and her footfalls.

Director Raj Murugan, a former journalist, found inspiration for this script from a real life couple whom he had interviewed for a story. 
Murugan’s hero and heroine are confident individuals who do not wallow in self-pity but look forward to a life together. The story speaks of optimism. 
Lead actors Dinesh and Malavika have put in great effort in understanding the emotions and mannerisms of visually impaired people and that is translated well onscreen. The supporting cast of actors playing Thamizh’s and Kodi’s friends have put in a good show too. Santosh Narayanan’s music is impressive. 
What works against this poignant story is the length of the film that required crisper editing. Besides it gets melodramatic towards the end.  Some scenes lack conviction and raise questions in the minds of the viewers. Why did Thamizh not take a sighted companion with him while carrying a large bundle of cash, which unfortunately gets him into trouble? And is Thamizh so impulsive to travel alone by train from Chennai to Pune and then Mumbai in search of Kodi, without an escort.  Dinesh towards the end of the story tends to go overboard with his performance. 
Yet, this 'Cuckoo' does make itself heard with it’s off- beat tale.