‘Kotthu’ movie review : Laudable message, but does not tread any new ground

Kotthu begins with a ugly political homicide, however for a lot of the remainder of the movie, politics and violence takes a again seat. It’s the after-effects within the private lives of the individuals concerned in these acts on the bottom that the script is worried with. Girls grieving for lifeless husbands, moms ready for his or her jailed sons and youngsters rising up with out their fathers; these are the pictures that hold recurring, pointing on the cyclical nature of violence and its aftermath on both facet.

Goaded by the native celebration boss Sadanandan (Ranjith), Shanu (Asif Ali) finally ends up taking part in an element in a political homicide, in retaliation for killing one in all their very own. Nevertheless, with Shanu getting married to Hizana (Nikhila Vimal), the native management decides that his buddy Sumesh (Roshan Mathew), who additionally took half within the assault, may be handed over as one of many suspects to the police, to chill down the political temperature.

Anchored by Hemanth Kumar’s script, veteran Sibi Malayil seeks to weigh in on a subject, on which many movies have already been made. He approaches the topic from a relatable, humanistic viewpoint, however there’s probably not something novel within the script or its remedy on the display screen, which additionally appears a bit dated. It does get the emotional half proper, particularly the way in which guilt slowly gnaws at Shanu. However then, as if to spoil the impact, the movie at one level switches to a lighter temper, when Shanu makes an attempt to fall on his spouse’s ft, begging pardon. At such factors, the scriptwriter appears to overlook that this can be a man who has dedicated homicide.

There’s clearly an try and strike a steadiness, however the script for many elements focus solely on one facet of the political spectrum, with the high-level machinations on the opposite facet or their evil designs being utterly absent. Only some violent lower-level staff from the opposite facet are proven every so often, to remind us of their hand within the murders. For a film which seeks to painting an endless cycle of violence, this lack of steadiness in what’s proven on-screen is obtrusive.

The movie’s portrayal of Kannur is just not very totally different from the opposite movies which have targeted on this topic; a one-dimensional, joyless place the place nothing a lot else occurs. Aside from movingly capturing the emotional toll on the households of the victims and perpetrators of the politics of homicide, Kotthu doesn’t tread any new floor. Its remedy of the topic usually seems simplistic and missing nuance. The movie doesn’t say something greater than the oft-repeated arguments in tv debates on this topic, which is unlucky, contemplating the laudable message in opposition to political violence that it carries.

Kotthu is at present working in theatres