The character portrayed by Kavin, a beggar whose name we do not know till the end, is not your run-of-the-mill homeless person depicted in Tamil cinema. He pretends to have every disability under the sun to get more alms. He orders pizza from food delivery apps while dancing on a livestream on social media. He refuses to spare Rs 10 for a movie for Jack, a young boy who lives with him after being abandoned by his parents, to watch a movie with him. However, from the moment Sivabalan Muthukumar’s Bloody Beggar begins, you know that there is something dark and tragic lurking behind Kavin’s character’s nonchalance.

Debut filmmaker Sivabalan’s Bloody Beggar is produced by Nelson Dilipkumar and follows the life of a beggar who unwittingly ends up in a messy property quarrel. After a day of poor luck with begging, Kavin’s character is invited to an ‘annadhanam’ (free meal) in the house of deceased movie star Chandra Bose (played by Radha Ravi). Upon visiting the mansion, he realises that this is the same house that he and his wife Kani wanted to live in someday. After the meal, he enters the house only to realise he has been trapped. Before our protagonist knows it, he is entangled in a dangerous squabble between Chandra Bose's legitimate and illegitimate heirs. Whether Kavin makes it out alive forms the rest of Bloody Beggar. 

The chemistry between Kavin and Rohit Dennis (Jack) is almost perfect — even though Kavin’s acting feels unnatural and even over-the-top at moments. The witty banter between the two characters however makes up for it, especially when the beggar recounts how he decided to let Jack live with him after accidentally tripping over him on the streets. 

The film seems to lose momentum after Kavin’s character is discovered by a scheming lawyer played by Sunil Sukhada and one of Chandra Bose’s granddaughters. Soon enough, a motley crew of characters are introduced and before you keep track of who is who, the film breaks for intermission.

The establishment of Bose’s children – Mandakini, Rudran, Guberan, and Radha – and their quirky families starts off on a grating note. There is one grandchild who dresses up as his grandfather’s characters every hour owing to his failure in the film industry. There is another granddaughter who is stoic and does not want anything to do with his mess. Guberan brings his wife, mistress, and son for the property division. And there is Redin Kingsely’s character (not revealing the name on account of a spoiler) who oscillates between delivering barely funny punchlines and screaming into the ears of Kavin’s character. These scenes elicit a few laughs and leave you wondering whether you should have taken copious notes of who is related to who to keep track of what’s happening. 

However, the second half is far more watchable. What seemed annoying about each character is cleverly incorporated into the plot, making it entertaining. There are murders, jokes about said murders, javelin throws, supernatural activity, and tragic glimpses of the beggar’s past. There are scenes where you are left wondering whether you should gasp at the horrors unfolding before your eyes or laugh at the absurdity of it all. The pace of Bloody Beggar picks up fast enough and what seemed to be loose ends scattered all over the first half are tied up neatly. The mayhem created by Bose’s money-hungry and murderous family leaves you wishing they had more screen time just to see what they would get up to next. 

However, the film — which ends on a bittersweet note — does little justice to the emotional flashback scenes from the life of Kavin’s character. 

One irksome aspect of Bloody Beggar was using brownface on Kavin. While he was a decent fit for the role, the question is why artificially darken an actor’s face instead of casting someone with darker skin, if that is the look the filmmaker is going for? 

Overall, Bloody Beggar was a decent attempt from Sivabalan, and the dark humour worked in several moments. One can notice traces of Nelson Dilipkumar’s signatures like the twisted humour, stoic characters, and chaotic ensemble — but they are a delight for the most part. Despite lagging in the middle, Bloody Beggar is an entertaining watch if you have the stomach for gory deaths, laughing about them, and messy family drama.

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the producers or any other members of its cast and crew.