Kaanekkaane (2021) :
Movie Review -
Malayalam Cinema is just kicking every competitor out by a margin when it comes to delivering quality content this year. Due to pandemic many films have decided to be on hold so we are getting less films which ultimately is causing less quality and not just quantity. While every other industry is struggling to deliver two to three classic movies in 2021 (including Hollywood), Malayalam industry is running a riot. If i am not miscalculating then Kaanekkaane is like 9th or 10th quality product delivered by Malayalam cinema in 2021 so far. The number might go higher in remaining 3 months of this year and the final count of Malayalam Cinema would be higher than combined total of rest of the Cinema Industries in India. I hope, i am not exaggerating and i will surely be happy to make a stats of comparison by the year end.
Kaanekkaane is a film that gives a new dimensions to human conscience through cinematic liberty. What we have earlier seen in Drishyam 2 this year but here it's different, rather say it's completely opposite figuratively. Deputy Tahsildar Paul Mathai arrives in town for some court matters. He is warmly received by his son-in-law Allen. Wondering when he would see his grandson again, Paul is leaving Allen's home, when something catches his eye. There comes the shift in the lives which leads to an emotional and thrilling journey of all these characters. It reminded me of Svati Bhatkal's Documentary 'Rubari Roshni' (2019), produced by Aamir Khan Productions which gave a thought-provoking message of Forgiveness. Sometimes it's better to forgive and let go the culprit than seeking revenge and all these stories in there were coming from true events and so it became an eternal Classic for me. Here, Kaanekkaane gets the same but with a single episode unlike multiple stories in Rubaru Roshni. Kaanekkaane has got a treatment of a thriller and the atmospheric genius work can be notice through consistently hopping background score and excellent Cinematography.
The performances in the film have made it even better. All the characters look real excluding couple of bluffs. Tovino Thomas, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Aishwarya Lekshmiand Shruti Ramachandran and everyone in the supporting cast have delivered upto their potential. The screenplay is slow at the beginning with those pauses and all but after a while the same pauses start looking thrilling and give you chills. The storytelling becomes more intense and matured as the time passes and because it has a runtime of about 120 minutes, it holds pretty much fine despite slow start.
The writing makes the job easy for the director as it tries to gamble within a offbeat theme. The conflict between two different human conscience is not a regular thing in any cinema industry. If you remember Hollywood Classic 'Ox Bow Incident' (1943) which gave a staggering speech on human conscience then i don't think any film has come close to that in these 8 long decades. So, it's an unusual thing and the way it is goofed up with human relations, guilt, compassion and forgiveness it all makes it super exclusive in a way. There are few things that have gone wrong but it's not a big issue as Director Manu Ashokan has managed to find a getaway to a certified triumph. In final words, another fabulous Malayalam Film this year and very close to a Classic tag.
RATING - 7/10*
Malayalam Cinema is just kicking every competitor out by a margin when it comes to delivering quality content this year. Due to pandemic many films have decided to be on hold so we are getting less films which ultimately is causing less quality and not just quantity. While every other industry is struggling to deliver two to three classic movies in 2021 (including Hollywood), Malayalam industry is running a riot. If i am not miscalculating then Kaanekkaane is like 9th or 10th quality product delivered by Malayalam cinema in 2021 so far. The number might go higher in remaining 3 months of this year and the final count of Malayalam Cinema would be higher than combined total of rest of the Cinema Industries in India. I hope, i am not exaggerating and i will surely be happy to make a stats of comparison by the year end.
Kaanekkaane is a film that gives a new dimensions to human conscience through cinematic liberty. What we have earlier seen in Drishyam 2 this year but here it's different, rather say it's completely opposite figuratively. Deputy Tahsildar Paul Mathai arrives in town for some court matters. He is warmly received by his son-in-law Allen. Wondering when he would see his grandson again, Paul is leaving Allen's home, when something catches his eye. There comes the shift in the lives which leads to an emotional and thrilling journey of all these characters. It reminded me of Svati Bhatkal's Documentary 'Rubari Roshni' (2019), produced by Aamir Khan Productions which gave a thought-provoking message of Forgiveness. Sometimes it's better to forgive and let go the culprit than seeking revenge and all these stories in there were coming from true events and so it became an eternal Classic for me. Here, Kaanekkaane gets the same but with a single episode unlike multiple stories in Rubaru Roshni. Kaanekkaane has got a treatment of a thriller and the atmospheric genius work can be notice through consistently hopping background score and excellent Cinematography.
The performances in the film have made it even better. All the characters look real excluding couple of bluffs. Tovino Thomas, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Aishwarya Lekshmiand Shruti Ramachandran and everyone in the supporting cast have delivered upto their potential. The screenplay is slow at the beginning with those pauses and all but after a while the same pauses start looking thrilling and give you chills. The storytelling becomes more intense and matured as the time passes and because it has a runtime of about 120 minutes, it holds pretty much fine despite slow start.
The writing makes the job easy for the director as it tries to gamble within a offbeat theme. The conflict between two different human conscience is not a regular thing in any cinema industry. If you remember Hollywood Classic 'Ox Bow Incident' (1943) which gave a staggering speech on human conscience then i don't think any film has come close to that in these 8 long decades. So, it's an unusual thing and the way it is goofed up with human relations, guilt, compassion and forgiveness it all makes it super exclusive in a way. There are few things that have gone wrong but it's not a big issue as Director Manu Ashokan has managed to find a getaway to a certified triumph. In final words, another fabulous Malayalam Film this year and very close to a Classic tag.
RATING - 7/10*