Tovino Thomas adds yet another feather to his cap. Director Darwin Kuriakose deserves appreciation for this experimental film.
'Anweshippin Kandethum' is directed by Darwin Kuriakose. (X)
Crime thrillers always have a set of audiences, and the advent of OTT has opened the doors to more thrillers and experimental content. Anweshippin Kandethum, helmed by director Darwin Kuriakose, is an experimental investigative thriller that runs at a slow pace.
The Malayalam movie revolves around two murder cases in Kottayam district in the 1990s.
However, it does not have a police officer (the protagonist played by Tovino Thomas) who delivers lengthy dialogues that run into several pages or crazy punchlines to enthral the audience.
His honesty, integrity, and shrewdness in investigating the cases speak volumes about the protagonist.
Interestingly, Tovino Thomas has acted in a crime thriller after Forensic (2020), which did well in the theatres.
Let’s check if Anweshippin Kandethum works wonders for him:
‘Anweshippin Kandethum’ is a thriller. (X)
Anweshippin Kandethum can be divided into two stories.
Set in the 90s, the first half is about the murder of Lovely Mathan, a collegegirl.
Anand Narayanan (Tovino Thomas) works as the Sub-Inspector at Chingavanam police station in the Kottayam district. He investigates the missing case of Lovely.
As the investigation progresses, Anand faces many obstacles. He does not have the support of his senior officers due to their ego clashes and vested interests in the case.
Anand finishes the probe and finds himself at the receiving end due to some developments in the case.
In his second case, again a murder mystery, Anand gets help from his senior police officer (played by Siddique). Anand and his team try to investigate the killing, but the local people do not cooperate with them.
Meanwhile, the mysterious Sreedevi murder case, reported six years ago, remains unsolved. Can Anand and his team solve the case? This is the second half of the film.
Anweshippin Kandethum adopts an impressive treatment in showcasing the two cases.
Earlier, filmmakers used to do sequels where a police officer was held responsible for the investigation. The CBI series (Mammootty-starrer films) in Malayalam, helmed by K Madhu, is an example.
However, Anweshippin Kandethum feels like watching two different short films or an OTT series on a big screen.
Scripted by Jinu V Abraham, the movie is devoid of any elevations we usually see in cop stories like the Singham series. It is quite realistic.
The Kerala Crime Files, the first Malayalam web series streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, too, adopts a similar realistic approach to narrate the police stories.
Thank you all !! ❤️🙏🏼#AnweshippinKandethum in theatres near you! pic.twitter.com/XgZhiFKRO6
— Tovino Thomas (@ttovino) February 9, 2024
In the first case, debutant director Darwin Kuriakose sheds light on how religious communities can influence the police investigation.
The twists and turns in both cases make the film a riveting watch.
However, in the latter half, the movie progresses at a slow pace, which may not go down well with the audience. But then, it picks up momentum towards the climax.
A major highlight of Anweshippin Kandethum is Anand, the investigator, not being given proper recognition by the police department for his services. This comes as a tight slap at the system.
The movie has some good editing by Saiju Sreedharan, who keeps it crisper. A couple of shots, especially in the end, are brilliant.
The songs and background music by Santhosh Narayanan are a great strength to the film.
The art director deserves appreciation for the settings.
Darwin Kuriakose uses elements like stereo players, landline phones, and old police jeeps used in the 90s.
Anweshippin Kandethum is headlined by Tovino Thomas. (X)
Anweshippin Kandethum has some impressive performances by a couple of actors.
Tovino Thomas delivers a subtle performance as Anand.
Unlike in the first case, Anand looks more relaxed while investing in the second case as he becomes well-versed in handling his subordinates.
Tovino Thomas has done multiple cop films, but this one is yet another a feather in his cap.
The actor, in an interview, revealed that he took references from Mohanlal’s Mukham (1990) to fit into his role. And I must say, he is fabulous.
Aziz Nedumangad, as a circle inspector, is a surprise package. The comedian pulls off a crucial role quite easily, like that in Kannur Squad (2023).
Kottayam Nazeer, as DySP, plays a negative role and is decent.
Siddique’s character as an SP is a cakewalk for the veteran actor.
Anweshippin Kandethum is an experimental thriller elevated by realistic police procedures and amazing performances, especially Tovino Thomas.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
May 06, 2024
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