Robinhood is perhaps one of the few thieves in the world who are truly loved by all because he stole from the wealthy and helped the poor. Playing a version of Robinhood, we have Soubin Shahir in and as Kallan D’Souza, who with his sidekick (played by Hareesh Kanaran) steals from the wealthy for a living. In a chain of events that followed a botched robbery, D’Souza meets Asha (played by Surabhi Lakshmi), unhappily married to a corrupt police officer Manoj (played by Dileesh Pothan). What happens following the meeting forms the crux of the story.

Directed by Jithu K Jayan, Kallan D’Souza was written by Sajeer Baba with music direction from Leo Tom and Prasanth Karma. Known for their VFX work in movies like Ennum Ninte Moyideen and 7th Day, Mamyth VFX Studios has taken care of the special effects in the film, while Rizal Jainy edited the film. Aside from Shahir, Kanaran, Lakshmi, and Pothan, other cast members include Vijayaraghavan, Sreejith Ravi, Santhosh Keezhatoor, Premkumar, Dr Rony David, Ramesh Varma, Vinodh Kovoor, Krishnakumar, and Aparna Nair.

Kallan D’Souza plot can be aptly divided into two sections: one that deals with a petty thief with a heart of gold and one that deals with a few corrupt police officials and an equally corrupt and powerful man chasing his black money. While contrastingly different plotlines, there are certain similarities between the two: the innate cat and mouse game that you can expect in a movie on a thief. However, ironically, even police officials are hiding from their own version of cats in this film.

With a movie name which has the word Kallan (thief) in it, you would expect the movie to be a heroic, masala heist movie. On the contrary, the film deals with complex issues like abusive and unhappy marriages, moral policing, and corruption and its undeniable connection with power. However, at the centre of the movie we have the silent comparison between police who seem outwardly just and thieves who seem like the bad guy from the outside.

While the intention was to open a dialogue on the possible corruption underneath the publicized raids, Kallan D’Souza inadvertently romanticizes thieves and a life of crime. D’Souza, our hero, even goes as far as saying, “we don’t steal like that,” in the film, which is ironic coming from a career thief. However, a well-written story and convincing performances from Shahir, Lakshmi and Pothan keep the movie together and the viewer entertained.

With Kanaran’s selfish and morally-challenged (certainly more realistic) thief, who is constantly subjected to glutton tropes and jokes, the movie has the typical pessimistic and messy sidekick. Vijayaraghavan’s greedy yet cowardly senior police officer also adds a dash of comic relief. Soubin Shahir knows how to convincingly play a deceitful yet considerate thief, making us root for his escape from the police. However, the one person who steals the show in the film is Surabhi Lakshmi, who was able to aptly capture the emotional journey of a woman stuck in a suffocating marriage and life. It is she that will have one watching the movie despite the many songs that almost interrupt the flow of the story.

Kallan D’Souza is a silent entertainer, wherein viewers will get their dose of entertainment without being subjected to mass-y dialogues or over-the-top dialogues. With convincing performances, the movie will have you root for the apparent underdog and the kind thief.

However, expect an extremely black-and-white approach to situations that crop up in the story. That said, it is a decent entertainer for the weekend.