2021 is closing up with just a day left, and Disney+Hotstar has the perfect antidote to all the blues you encountered in the year with Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan. Starring Dileep in the titular role and Urvashi, Naslen K. Gafoor, Jaffar Idukki, Kalabhavan Shajohn, and Hareesh Kanaran in other pivotal roles, the 142-minute movie is a comedy-drama movie directed by Nadirshah. With a screenplay from Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum fame Sajeev Pazhoor and cinematography from Anil Nair, the movie is a laughter riot.
Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan follows Keshu, a 60-year-old eccentric driving school owner and head of household. He is known for his money-pinching ways, not sparing even his three sisters and brothers-in-law or his own wife and kids. On a family trip to Rameshwaram, he learns that he won the lottery of 12 Crores. The events that follow as he tries to claim his prize money forms the crux of the story.
There’s something quite magical about comedy-drama movies where the comedic timing of the actors, the progressively-worsening situation, and the sheer slapstick nature of it all created sequences that had the audience clutching their stomachs.
With witty dialogues and a tight screenplay, Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan is reminiscent of such movies. Just like in a classic comedy, the tone of the movie undergoes a sudden switch in the concluding 30 minutes, allowing you to relive the golden era of comedy in Malayalam movies.
The highlight of Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan is its screenplay and dialogues. With a witty commentary on prevalent social issues and popular controversies, the movie offers a delightful satirical element. The Nadirshah directorial captured the innate greed in human beings and how much the prospect of winning money can change a person and their intentions as well as actions.
Dileep as Keshu and Urvashi as his wife, Ratnamma, are perfect casting. With the ability to get into any character with a mere disguise, Dileep is believable as a 60-year-old eccentric Keshu. Urvashi’s Ratnamma is as caricaturish and animated as the character could be while offering the necessary emotional depth to the character. The supporting cast was no less when it came to giving convincing performances, lending the additional comedic flavour to the film.
Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan is a lot of things, but it is in no way a perfect film. Nadirshah’s music in the movie could have used some fine-tuning visually and musically, especially with tracks like Naaranga Muttayi, which was barely bearable with blaring visuals and formulaic score. The film also sees an overuse of a gag that was funny when it started, but towards the end, it became a groan-inducing and unnecessary punchline. Finally, did we really need a cameo cum segway from actor Dileep in the movie? You can decide the answer to that.
Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan, simply put, is a comedy-drama film that will leave you gasping for breath in-between laughs. With on-point acting and almost perfect screenplay, the movie captures your attention and never lets it go until the credits start rolling. Safe to say, the Dileep-starrer is the perfect adieu to 2021 and a safe watch from your homes during the Omicron scare.