CIA: Comrade in America has a story in it which has never been discussed in Malayalam cinema before. It tells the story of a large number of people who try to illegally crossover the Mexican-American border seeking asylum in the United States of America. The film, which is expected to break many Box Office records, is a political/romantic comedy drama where Dulquer Salmaan plays the protagonist Aji Mathew who is a highly motivated Communist Party member from Pala and is forced to go to USA to retrieve his love.
The movie which has Communism as an integral part of its soul, released on May 5th, the 199th birthday of Karl Marx. Directed by Amal Neerad and produced by Ajmal Khalid, the movie has Siddique, Dileesh Pothen, Soubin Shahir, Chandini Sreedharan, John Vijay, Jinu Joseph and Karthika Muralidharan in pivotal roles.
Shibin Francis, the writer of the movie has wandered into the unexplored territories of Malayalam cinema. Amidst all the movies with protagonists travelling miles in search of loved ones, CIA stands tall in current times with its strong and relevant theme. The direction has its highs and lows, but Amal Neerad succeeds in using the star value of Dulquer Salmaan to entertain the viewer. The sequences with Che Guevara, Karl Marx, Stalin and Lenin are a class apart. If the vexatious nature of illegal immigration had been captured on reel with the support of a zealous screenplay written after a more conscientious preparatory research, the movie would have turned out be a classic masterpiece.
Dulquer Salmaan effortlessly transforms into the Pala born Aji Mathew and his performance is undoubtedly the highlight of the movie. The new generation Superstar of Malayalam cinema flawlessly portrays each emotion of Aji Mathew. He is well supported by Siddique, Soubin Shahir and Dileesh Pothan. The lead heroine Karthika Muralidharan, who does not have much to perform in the movie, even though her role is an inevitable part of the script, delivers a pretty average performance.
Gopi Sunder's soundtrack serves its purpose of enhancing the viewers' experience. The cinematography by Renadive efficiently passes on the beauty of various picturesque locations in Nicaragua, Mexico and Kerala. Edits by Praveen Prabhakar blend in well with the background score to project the true spirit of the movie.