Kasargold review: The gold smuggling story gets elevated by a stylish Asif Ali and Mridul Nair’s decent craft

Malayalam actor Asif Ali’s latest outing Kasargold focuses on the crime and fraud that take place in the gold business, especially in the Kasargod and Malabar areas.

The movie is written based on real-life smuggling cases, especially those reported in the airports of Northern Kerala. The gold in these cases is reportedly smuggled from the Gulf.

While Kasargold mentions these details, vengeance and backstabbing take its story forward.

This is Asif Ali’s second collaboration with his director-friend Mridul Nair who earlier helmed his debut movie B.Tech (2018).

Synopsis

Kasargold has a story that has elements of revenge, cheating, love and whatever is needed for a commercial entertainer.

The film begins with Alby (Asif Ali) and Nancy (Malavika Sreenath), who arrive at an airport in Kerala, losing the gold they’re smuggling from the Gulf.

Alby and his friend Faisal (Sunny Wayne) plan to loot the smuggled gold from the airport.

Moosa (Siddique) and Firoz (Ratheesh Poduval) are the key people behind the illegal gold business.

Alby and Faisal get into trouble as the entire gold smuggling team led by Moosa and Firoz keeps searching for them.

The movie is extensively shot in Kasargod which is notorious for gold smuggling. A few scenes have been shot in Goa where the story happens.

Also Read: Vishal Atreya cooks a decent murder mystery with a pinch of smartness

Layered plot

There are many layers in the film.

In the beginning, a father narrates to his child a folktale of two friends who kill each other for a treasure (gold). In the end, though Alby and Faisal have their own problems in life, they don’t kill each other but get ready to sacrifice their lives. Now, that’s an irony!

Director Mridul Nair, who is also the co-scriptwriter, tries to convey that humans aren’t always opportunistic and evil by nature. This is a contrast to the folktale mentioned earlier.

The director beautifully portrays the camaraderie between Faisal and Alby. He is also smart enough to weave a story about how they befriend each other.

Another important part of Kasargold is the murder of two brothers in Thalassery which is organised by a political party aligned to the Left. The movie also becomes critical of the political murders.

The proper placement of four political goons (in disguise as tourists in Goa), who are after Alby and Faisai, makes for an interesting watch. Towards the climax, the reality is revealed and there is a fight scene that turns brutal.

The tail end is one of the highlights of the flick.

Technically good

A major highlight of Kasargold is its technical area where the cinematography and music play an important role.

The scenic beauty of Goa, Jose Giri and other parts of Payyanur and Kasargod are captured aesthetically. The song in the bar, too, is shot nicely. The fights and bike chase sequences are breathtakingly good.

The cinematography by Jebin Jacob elevates the movie, especially in the climax.

However, a slight lag in the second half is a disappointment. Some scenes could have been cut.

Also Read: Malayalam version of Raj B Shetty’s ‘Toby’ to hit screens in Kerala

Performances

Kasargold has some good performances by its lead actors Asif Ali and Sunny Wayne. Their onscreen relationship is too good.

Asif Ali impresses us with his swag. Sunny Wayne gets a meaty role after a long time.

Vinayakan as police officer Alex Joseph is nice. But the audience who had a hangover from his amazing performance in Jailer (2023) might expect more from the actor here.

Siddique as gold smuggler Moosa and PP Kunhikrishnan as Narayanan are decent. They represent two different political parties in the movie and the nexus between them in terms of gold business is shown well by the director.

Ratheesh Poduval as Firoz delivers a decent performance.

Malavika Sreenath as Nancy, Alby’s girlfriend, is good.

Final take

Kasargold is a story that’s inspired by the gold smuggling cases reported in Kerala. Brilliant action sequences and Asif Ali’s swag make it a worthy watch.

(Views expressed here are personal.)