The Content central

FCC take: Now, this is one great script! If only the endgame was as satisfying.

Right from the outset, you can sense Kishkindha Kaandam, starring Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali in the leads, is going to be a different, thrilling movie, just by how it opens and sets up a story and a plot that doesn’t let the audience fully in, playing its cards close to its chest.

Is the movie about a forgetful, cranky old man (played wonderfully by veteran Vijayaraghavan) or is it about mischievous monkeys who steal things, is it a crime thriller about a missing gun or the murder mystery of a missing  boy? The script by Bahul Ramesh (also the cinematographer) doesn’t tell you.

The direction (Dinjith Ayyathan) is taut and moody (helped by a mystical background score) right until the last fifteen minutes, where the movie’s final twist doesn’t land in line with the things that came before.

The acting is stellar from Asif Ali & Vijayaraghavan, Aparna Balamurali is decent in a role that asks for a bit more of an inspired interpretation.

Overall, Kishkindha Kaandam is another unique tale from the Malayalam film industry, the story of a missing revolver that keeps morphing into something more. Watch it on Disney+ Hotstar.