Actor Manikandan is steadily becoming a bankable actor in Tamil cinema. His last two films, Good Night and Lover, turned out to be crowd favourites. In both films, he played a relatable ‘guy next door’ dealing with financial and emotional problems. Director Rajeshwar Kalisamy’s Kudmbasthan is yet another film that features Manikandan in the role of a breadwinner in a lower-middle-class family man. Naveen (Manikandan) and Vennila (Saanve Megghana) get married at a registrar’s office, with their families cursing them for not getting their permission. After a brief hiatus, Naveen and Vennila live with his parents. Vennila, an IAS aspirant, is a cool-headed, understanding and pregnant wife, who supports Naveen and turns a blind eye to the insults of her mother-in-law.

Remember TVF breaking into the Hindi web series space during the OTT boom? While not on the similar scale, Nakkalites managed to do that in the Tamil space with their native, relatable, and well-performed sketches that boasted of decent production value, and strong content. Since all rivers in this part of the world have to flow into cinema, many actors from this setup managed to eke out a name for themselves on the big screen too. Now, its director Rajeshwar Kalisamy has come with Kudumbasthan, a film that reflects the ethos of Nakkalites, features actors from Nakkalites, has the same irreverent vibe of Nakkalites, and for what its worth, makes quite an impression.

Kudumbasthan’s premise taps into an evergreen theme in Tamil cinema, which is the struggles of a middle-class protagonist trying to make ends meet. The film’s title itself evokes memories of classics from filmmakers like Bhagyaraj, Visu, and actor Saravanan, who have explored similar themes in their comedy dramas across generations. The story revolves around Naveen (Manikandan), a typical middle-class youngster from a small town in Coimbatore, who is newly married to Vennila (Saanve Megghana). Naveen works as a designer at a local marketing company, earning just enough to sustain their modest life. Meanwhile, Vennila prepares for the UPSC exams while managing household responsibilities and battling caste-based discrimination from her mother-in-law. Their lives take a turn when Naveen, in a moment of self-respect, slaps a client and loses his job. What follows is a downward spiral of financial struggles, debt, and deception, with no apparent way out.