Malayalam cinema is enjoying one of its better recent years in 2024, starting with the success of “All We Imagine As Light” and continuing with another great year in the box office. “Kishkindha Kaandam” was one of the films that enjoyed both critical and box office success, becoming the 9th highest grossing Malayalam film of 2024.
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The story begins with the wedding of Ajay, a dedicated forest officer, and Aparna. After their wedding, they move into Ajay’s family home where he lives with his father, Appu Pilla, a retired army officer. The house is located near a dense forest reserve known for its population of wild monkeys, which frequently cause trouble for the local residents. Right about that time, a police demand for everyone to hand over their guns is announced, but Appu Pilla cannot do so, as his gun has been lost for two years, and he has been searching for it ever since. At the same time, Ajay has also been searching for his son with his deceased previous wife, Chachu, who has been missing for three years. As the fact that a mental issue is hidden beneath Appu Pilla’s strict and harsh demeanor, Aparna also starts to discover a number of secrets tormenting the family.
Dinjith Ayyathan directs a film that thrives on the buildup of its story, as the various elements are revealed in rather timely fashion in order to progress it while retaining a very appealing sense of mystery, with Appu Pilla’s mental issues essentially adding an element that could be described as Rashomon effect. Starting with the gun and the whole concept of its delivery, including the bureaucracy involved, continuing with the two disappearances, the role of the monkeys, and finishing with the treatment Appu Pilla had for his sons and the mental issues he suffered from, create an amalgam that retains interest from beginning to end. This even though at one point, it does become evident what happened more or less.
Somewhere close to the end, however, Ayyathan somewhat loses his sense of measure, with the movie taking a path that could easily be described as forced sentimentalism, with the performances also following suit in the same regard. Apart from this though, the acting is actually on a high level. Asif Ali as Ajay plays the man with the trauma convincingly, with the same applying to Aparn Balamurali as Aparna, who highlights her growing disillusionment in the best fashion. The one who steals the show however is definitely Vijayaraghavan as Appu Pilllai, who presents a series of different personas with equal prowess. The interactions between father and son are also rather good, highlighting the excellent chemistry among the two.
At the same time, the various comments here, including the one on patriarchy and public perception regarding concepts like authority, ecology, the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency and its repercussions, are all well communicated and relatively well embedded in the narrative.
Sooraj E.S.’s editing results in a relatively fast pace that suits the nature of the story, while the flashbacks are timely placed within the narrative. DP Bahul Ramesh captures the various locations the movie takes place in with artistry, with the way the forest is depicted in particular being exquisite, without any exaltations though.
Apart from some excessiveness in the story and acting, particularly close to the end, and some plot holes here and there, “Kishkindha Kaandam” is a very competent film that manages to be both entertaining and contextually rich.
