KAMMATIPAADAM MOVIE REVIEW

Sometimes when one presumes that he is in the tip of slipping into the arms of death, they say he tends to see his entire life running like a slideshow in front of his eyes. With a similar narration, Kammattipaadam is an array of of memories that the protagonist Krishnan (Dulquer) recollects as he suffers a  physically low point.

The term “Kammattipaadam” might be a familiar one for old residents of Ernakulam. It was an area situated in the heart of the city and all the incidents that take place around that part of the city influences the lives of multiple characters and this well written story comes out of the popular cinematographer and director Rajeev Ravi’s workshop.

Dulquer carries the role of the protagonist well and gains more attention as the story unfolds in his point of view mostly. Vinayakan as Ganga makes a strong impact through this story and his potential as a performer has been triggered well by the character sketch designated for him. The whole casting idea needs to applauded as every character that appears on screen enters with purpose and exits after meeting the purpose.

The crucial part of this story is the aging process that every character goes through. Unfortunately, the handsome hunk, Dulquer remains the only character whose ageing looks less convincing. Otherwise all the other characters appear in a believable manner. Appreciations are due for the casting catch of Dulquer and Vinayakan’s teenage looks. Those boys look just like the younger version of the stars. The female lead, Shaun Romy does a neat job though the scope for her character is less.

As mentioned above, the story takes off with a flashback narration automatically making it a non linear one. It is quite a challenge to handle this type of narration without confusing the viewer and writer P Balachandran does it effectively.

The two evident threats of this film funded by Global united Media are as follows.

1. The length of the film. The film is 2 hours 57 minutes long and towards climax one might feel slightly restless.

2. The ‘A’ certificate given by CBFC curbs the range of audience who get to experience this tale. It should be noted that few murder scenes are raw and gore, and an A certificate is absolutely justified.

Madhu Neelakantan’s work behind the lens and Ajith Kumar’s edit have retained the essence and nativity of the locality well, making the overall experience a pleasant one. The difference in timeline is also well established by the cinematographer. One element that continuously pursues to impress us is the BGM. Progressive and classy route taken by the musicians K, John P. Varkey, Vinayakan has worked well.