When I first heard about the title of Dinjith Ayyathan's "Kishkindha Kaandam", it reminded me of the Ramayana series that I had watched in Doordarshan decades back. This episode of the epic marked the meeting of Rama with Hanuman and the tale of the vanar brothers (Bali & Sugriva). In the case of this flick, Dinjith has staged his story in Kallepathi where there is a significant population of monkeys who co-exist with the humans in the region. Apart from the title being interesting, the story was even more engaging as it kept me hooked onto it until the very end. So much so, it is likely to stay with you for some time even after it concludes.
In response to the upcoming elections, the code of conduct mandated arms license holders to deposit their weapons at the nearest police station. However, even until the last day the pistol that belonged to the retired military officer, Appu Pilla (Vijayaraghavan) was not deposited. The authorities brought it to the attention of his son, Ajayan (Asif Ali), a forest officer who had recently tied the knot a second time to Aparna (Aparna Balamurali). It soon becomes evident that the pistol was missing & a couple of untowardly incidents in the vicinity, raised alarm bells as to whether it was in the possession of anti-social elements. In the meantime, the behaviour & attitude of her grumpy father-in-law raised concerns in Aparna & she decides to find out the reason for his alienating attitude with everyone including his own son.
This is Dinjith's second directorial venture after "Kakshi Amminippilla" which was a pretty decent movie that also had Asif & Vijayaraghavan in its cast. In his latest release, he has joined hands with Bahul Ramesh who apart from being the DoP has penned an absolutely engaging script. The manner in which Bahul slowly reveals the characters and the meaning of their actions is reminiscent of peeling of an onion. They have made sure that the audience is kept interested by restricting the use of red herrings & also without spoon feeding them with details like in the form of flash backs or elaborate dialogues. In a way, it gave me the vibe of Sanu Varghese's "Aarkkariyam" while the story as such had a soul of its own. Kudos to Dinjith for having crafted it extremely well & for his smart choices when it came to the cast & crew, both of whom have complemented his efforts.
Apart from the impressive script, Bahul's cinematography was also on point & Sooraj E.S made sure the transitions were smooth though I would rate Mujeeb Majeed's BGM a tad higher as it perfectly blended with the mood. Coming to performances, Vijayaraghavan was brilliant in his body language as it essayed the various shades of his character. Giving him perfect company was Asif who impressed in all aspects as it was a character that dealt with a great deal of emotional turmoil. Aparna's character literally represents us & she has done complete justice to their role. Jagadish as usual in recent times impresses while Ashokan & the rest have done their parts aptly.
Verdict: Undoubtedly, one of the best screenplays in recent times which is backed by excellent performances!!!
Rating: 4/5
Regards...Ben
No comments:
Post a Comment