Kaanekkane is a family thriller drama directed by Manu Ashokan. The film stars Tovino Thomas, Suraj Venjaramoodu, and Aishwarya Lekshmi in the lead roles. 

The plot of Kaanekkaane revolves around Suraj’s character (referred to as Papa in the film), who visits his son-in-law, who married Sneha (Aishwarya Lekshmi) after the demise of his first wife Sherin (Shruti Ramachandran). Learning the unclear reasons behind Sherin’s death and the murky behavior of Allen (Tovino Thomas), Suraj’s character suspects something is left untold and sinks his teeth deep into the case. Soon he gets the answers to his questions, and how it quakes the lives of all the characters forms the rest of the story. 

Kaanekkaane is a well-knit emotional drama that doesn’t lose its focus. It is a hybrid genre of thriller and family drama. Unlike many films, Kaanekkaane doesn’t lose its focus from its one-liner and constantly sticks to the necessary parts. The film doesn’t involve any unnecessary toppings to stretch the duration or commercialize the plot. The screenplay is straightforward, with some terrific performances. 

The film dives into the world of melancholy, regret, guilt, and revenge. It passes through various emotions, which in the end become pale, and only happiness remains as a requisite.   

The film has assembled an amazing cast, each one of them shining in the film. The talents include Suraj Venjaramoodu, Tovino Thomas, Aishwarya Lekshmi in the lead roles. Speaking of the performances, The shining star who magnificently steals the show is Suraj Venjaramoodu. His top-notch act is the complete emotional coverage of this film. Every word he utters hits you deep. Tovino has delivered one of his career-best performances. A significant improvement can be observed in the emotional scenes delivered by him. Each facet of acting has been beautifully taken care of by him. Aishwarya Lekshmi was great as Sneha. The cast was perfect in every aspect, but special mention to Suraj Venjaramoodu for being the show-stealer. 

Alby Antony handles the cinematography of the film. The film, in total, follows a neutral colour format, which is neither too intense nor too dull, perfectly balancing the emotions and cross-hybrid genre of the film. The scenes were well cinematographed, though certain shots felt to be unnecessary. But apart from that, the film had a very befitting visual approach. 

Written by Boby and Sanjay, the famous writer duo of Malayalam cinema, just like most of their previous filmography, have penned this film keeping the emotional narrative tone as the key. The screenplay leveraged the actors potential to maximum, which uplifted the dramatic writing hitting the right chords. The script has its ups and downs at times, but as a whole, the screenplay is written neat and to the point. 

Directed by Manu Ashokan, the film sails really well, keeping the audience glued to the screen. Certain scenes could have been a bit more intriguing, but that doesn’t butt in on the film’s concentration. It is very moving and riveting, keeping the emotional layer buoyant.