Higuita review: The film captures the undercurrents of Kannur politics

Debutant director Hemanth G Nair’s Higuita (name of a Columbian footballer) begins with the political murder of a right-wing leader in Kannur which is known for being a politically-volatile district in Kerala.

Vinod (Sanju Sivaram) is accused of blocking the way of Panniyannur Mukundan (Suraj Venjaramoodu), a high-profile leader of a Leftist party.

The story mainly revolves around two characters — Ayyapadas (Dhyan Sreenivasan) and Mukundan.

Ayyappadas, a lazy young man, takes up the job of his father who dies as a policeman. After two years in the police camp, he gets appointed as the gunman of the politician Panniyannur Mukundan. He travels to Kannur to do his job.

Unlike some of the political films like Kothu that mellowed down the political scenario, the real story in Higuita starts here and the movie makes for a good watch.

Critical of political parties

The movie’s title itself courted controversy as eminent writer NS Madhavan revolted as one of his popular books had the same title.

But the film is a high-voltage story about the warring political parties and their workers.

Higuita goes deep into the political killings, political rivalries, and Theyyam art form of Kannur.

However, it mostly focuses on both right and left-wing parties and spares the Congress Party, which is the main opposition party in Kerala.

Panniyannur Mukundan’s character makes references to top political leaders present in Kerala now.

Related: Debutant director Hemanth G Nair talks about his film Higuita

MV Gopinath (Manoj K Jayan) and Panniyannur Mukundan are shown as the top leaders of the same party. Their rift is similar to the media reports that showcase the factionalism in Kannur.

However, being a writer himself, the director makes the characters say that all leaders will remain united for the party even though there are differences among them.

A native of Kannur, Hemanth G Nair goes into detail about the minute happenings in the different areas of the district. Of this, Theyyam (a Hindu ritualistic dance form) gets important.

Political murders that happen when Theyyam is organised and how people in the district see the art form despite caste and creed are showcased really well.

Higuita also depicts how a political party controls the police department and how a family comes under the party’s control after seeking favour from it. The director seems to have a critical take on this aspect.

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Some of the comedy sequences showcasing hartal in Kannur and bomb explosions planned for lame reasons are cliched.

Incidentally, the Vellaripattanam movie which was released a week ago also had similar references.

The reason for a political murder could be personal enmity or illegitimate affairs, if media reports that quote the police are to be taken into consideration. Higuita mentions this.

The inside fighting among political parties and how they blame each other gets a reference in the movie.

While the Left and right-wing parties are highlighted, the other major political parties aren’t touched upon. This is a missing part of the film, considering the serious topic it handles.

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Suraj Venjaramoodu’s subtle performance

The film has some goosebumps moments of Suraj with supporting background music by Dawn Vincent.

Suraj Venjaramoodu isn’t that actor who gets claps when he tucks his dhoti. In Higuita, he plays Panniyannur Mukundan, a strong leader who is shrewd enough to attain political gains.

Even his wife says that he is self-obsessed which is a reference to our national and regional political leaders.

Panniyannur Mukundan is a leader of little talks and expressions. He knows everything and is capable of dealing with serious situations.

But his actions to reach the top post of his party and the twist in the climax is a bit superficial. Well, sometimes movies demand this as it’s a means of entertainment, too.

Overall, Panniyannur Mukundan is a strong character but appears just before the interval at a crucial point. This is altogether a different role for Suraj as a solo hero.

Interestingly, Dhyan Sreenivasan has a major role in the movie with more screen space than Suraj.

The actor hasn’t got any path-breaking roles recently. His transformation from a lazy young man to a gunman is commendable. Hope the filmmakers will give him more good characters.

Manoj K Jayan as MV Gopinath and Indrans as senior party leader did justice to their roles.

Vineeth Kumar who has been in the industry for a long time gets a good role as a political party worker.

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Verdict

Higuita does justice to its genre. The thriller part towards the climax makes the film watchable. However, till the interval, the director takes his time to put things together.

In all, Higuita is a serious film that talks about political parties in the politically-volatile district of Kannur.

(Views expressed are personal.)