Over the decades, our industry has been blessed with some of the most extraordinary script writers such as MT Sir, Padmarajan, Lohithadas, Srinivasan etc. This explains the reason why craftsmen from other regions always wanted to work here or wanted to recreate these movies in their languages. As the times changed, the sensibilities & tastes of the audience has also evolved which has led to the emergence of a new wave of writers. Among the present lot, Syam Pushkaran & Bobby-Sanjay duo (except for their abysmal "Casanova") are my favourites as they are in sync with the pulse of the audience. Hence when I knew that the former has penned "Kumbalangi Nights", I was more than eager to check it out with the icing on the cake being a talented star cast. So was this night as memorable as I expected???
Located along the banks of the river in the fishing hamlet of Kumbalangi is a half completed/dilapidated house or as one of the characters states "the worst house in the panchayat". It was home to four brothers who were at logger heads to each other especially between the eldest Saji (Soubin Shahir) & Bobby (Shane Nigam). Both of them viled away their time living off others, Bonny (Sreenath Bhasi) was part of a dance troupe while the youngest Frankie (Mathew Thomas) was a promising footballer who did his studies courtesy of a scholarship. Things take a turn when romance is kindled between Baby Mol (Anna Ben) & Bobby. The latter worked as a tourist guide & also arranged accommodation for tourists at her residence. Her sister, Simi (Grace Antony) had recently got married to Shammi (Fahadh Fazil), who despite his constant smile & polite demeanor had a way of imposing himself on everyone & as expected, intrudes into her romance as well. So will the brothers make peace with each other & rally behind Bobby???
This is the debut venture of Madhu C Narayanan who had worked as an assistant to Aashiq Abu. It also happens to be the debut movie from the production company 'Working Class Hero' which belongs to Syam Pushkaran & Dileesh Pothan. They have co-produced it with Fahadh & Nazriya's 'Fahadh Fasil & Friends'. As usual, Syam has given us a cracking script which focuses on the dynamics of a dysfunctional family He has also touched upon several topics like patriarchy, romance, religion etc & how the present generation deals with it. Madhu has done utmost justice to the script & has created it on celluloid with the flair of an experienced hand. Whenever Shyju Khalid is involved in the project as DOP, then we can rest assured that he will give us a rewarding experience. Sushin Syam has been steadily etching out a name for himself with movies like "Sapthamashree..", "Ezra", "Varathan" etc., & he impresses yet again.
To be frank, it's one of those select movies where it is extremely difficult to chose the best performer among the lot as each one was better than the other. Fahadh was nothing short of brilliant as he gets his hands on a meaty role which gives him ample opportunity to try something different. You can rest assured that his act will sent a chill down your spine. Shane Nigam has never failed to impress whenever he has performed & the same holds true here as well. It's been a while since we have seen Soubin in a full length role which he rocks convincingly while Sreenath Bhasi makes his presence felt despite not uttering a single word. Both Anna & Grace was fantastic along with Mathew & the rest of the cast have done their parts aptly as well.
Verdict: Without a shadow of doubt, this is the best movie that I have watched in a while. Apart from an engaging script, each & every artist involved in this project has done complete justice to their roles. The public response to the movie is also testament to that & it should finish up as a profitable venture for the makers. In short, dont miss it!!!
Rating: 3.75/5
Regards...Ben
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