Higuita review: The film captures the undercurrents of Kannur politics

Entertainment By Arjun Ramachandran 31/03/2023 Read the article

Hemanth G Nair’s Higuita (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.

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

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

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

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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