The Tamil play Kalavu Neekkiya Padalam showcases the battle between ethics and law

Bhavani, a struggling lawyer, and her face off against the wealthy lawyer Ramanathan

Bhavani is a lawyer who doesn’t have many cases coming her way. She is forced to settle for clients who can afford to pay very little. Ramanathan (Bhaskar), on the other hand, is a lawyer who makes money hand over fist.

ThRee’s Kalavu Neekkiya Padalam (script V Sreevathson; direction M.V.Bhaskar) was about how dharma triumphs over the letter of the law, in two cases where Ramanathan and Bhavani face off. In the first case, an appalam supplier wants to get out of a contract with a multinational company, because he finds the terms unfavourable. Ramanathan, appearing for the MNC, argues that ignorance of the law is no excuse. But Bhavani works around the law, and makes some ethical points. She asks the executive of the MNC why he gets annual increments, while the poor appalam supplier has to stagnate on the same compensation for five years. Finally, the MNC withdraws the case, fearing negative publicity.

In the other case, Meyyappan (Isaikavi Ramanan), the trustee of a private temple, accuses the temple priest of stealing temple jewellery. The jewels were in a cupboard, inside the sanctum. There was no break in, and the priest was the only one who had a key to the cupboard. Bhavani proves, however, that there was once a spare key, which was supposedly lost by Meyyappan’s father. What if the key hadn’t been lost? Cornered, Meyyappan withdraws his complaint against the priest. So came another victory for Bhavani. While Bhavani’s successes may leave one feeling good, because it is nice to see the underdog winning against all odds, the court scenes and Bhavani’s moral haranguing were unrealistic.

The playwright had overdramatised the court scenes. A lawyer may be religious, but quoting incidents from Thiruvilayadal Puranam, and invoking god in a court were overboard. However, the LED backdrops for the lawyer’s office, the court and Bhavani’s house (Shiva, Disney, Sharath and team) were striking and well done.