Movie: Kammattipaadam (A)
Rating : 4/5
It's the second Malayalam film I am watched after URUMI. It's the first film of Dulquer Salmaan which I watched. I had heard Hindi film director Anurag Kashyap's praise for the film. And he said nothing wrong. KAMMATTIPAADAM is a raw, gritty, slow burning yet outstanding film that deserves a watch by all.
KAMMATTIPAADAM is an action thriller with realistic crime drama as the driving factor. The film is packed with intensely executed sequences which demand and deserve praise. It also needs to be made clear that KAMMATTIPAADAM is not for those who like masala movies or simply the regular style action thrillers. It's an action thriller, but it's also a riveting crime drama.
The thing that surprised and also made me happy were the prolonged sequences which had dialogues purely in Hindi. Dulquer speaks both the languages so well that you feel he knows every bit of Hindi. Maybe he knows, his accent of pronunciation tells.
Dulquer speaks through his character and the performance. Since I haven't seen any other of his films, I can't say whether it's his best work or not, but still I would love to praise him for a whole hearted performance. Vinayakan is very strong and excellent, he gives a terrific act. Other cast is also good.
The story and screenplay deserve praise. The feeling of something mysterious remains throughout the film. The technical aspects are top notch. The locations in Kerala are filmed excellently and are a treat to the eyes. The fights are excellent. Dialogues are noteworthy.
The film has its own flaws too. KAMMATTIPAADAM is a mysterious film, but in order to cover the mystery, the director stretches the film to 3 hours, which can be patience testing for certain viewers. The editing could have been much better. The film starts well, but as it goes on to unfold, several sequences slow down the film's pace. Also the A certificate due to a few gory action sequences limits the audience technically which usually doesn't go for such films. The runtime is the only negative factor that can't be ignored easily.
But still, KAMMATTIPAADAM is a big victory for the Malayalam and the Indian Cinema, and is definitely watchable if you like action thrillers which are quite dark and not like contemporary films. I watched it, liked it and reviewed it. In other words, it's a kind of film which I demanded, and received. This is really what Indian cinema deserves.