From the very first frame of Kalamkaval, it is evident that this Jithin K Jose film is a character-driven thriller that is a cloak-and-dagger game between a psychopathic antagonist and a highly-driven protagonist who wants to catch the serial killer at all cost.
For all those who have seen the film's promos, it is evident that Mammootty is the antagonist who is killing woman after woman in cold blood. And Mammootty is not playing a murderer for the first time in his career either - we have seen him essay such roles in numerous films like Munnariyippu and Rorschach.
But director Jithin K Jose has written the character of Stanley Das (Mammootty) so nuanced which combined with Mammootty's fine performance, makes us believe that Mammootty is truly evil. The director has also divided the movie into chapters - chapters from the life of the anti-hero - and as the police investigation by Nath (Vinayakan) progresses, Das's audacity also escalates.
The film opens to introduce us to a middle-class man living in Nagercoil (Tamil Nadu) who loves his family, his old Honda car and old Tamil songs. While he is happy with his wife, he indiscriminately indulges in affairs and we find out he is a serial killer who seems to be simply driven by the act of murder and nothing else.
He tells one of his girlfriends, Deepa (Shruti Ramachandran), "The greater the risk, the greater the satisfaction" just as he strangles her exposing his twisted psyche with surreal calmness. He specifically seeks out women who are widowed, divorced or of marriageable age but why is he killing these women?
Meanwhile, in Kerala Officer Jayakrishnan or Nath (Vinayakan), as he is known among his police colleagues, is assigned to investigate a communal riot that has been triggered by a girl's alleged elopement. As he starts to dig into this case, he uncovers cases of numerous missing women in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
These women are reported to have eloped with a man they had met recently and gone missing but there is no suspicion of foul play till Nath starts to see a strange pattern in the use of their mobile phones. As Nath crosses the border from Kerala to Tamil Nadu for his investigation into the missing women, at intermission, the case takes a very sharp and unexpected turn jolting the audience as well.
Kalamkaval is director Jithin K Jose's debut film, which is produced by Mammootty, and he and Jishnu Sreekumar have written a highly complex and dark character in Stanley Das which gives Mammootty a great scope for performance.
The character of Nath also has strong weightage in the film, which Vinayakan has done full justice to, and this is what makes the movie a worthy watch. The character set up is perfect in Kalamkaval but the screenplay as a whole has lags given it's a slow burn crime thriller and the tension dips drastically in some scenes.
Since there is no freshness to the story (it reminds us of real-life serial killer Cyanide Mohan), one expects the screenplay to build plenty of cinematic tension and suspense. This is where the film falters as it's not an edge-of-the-seat thriller but very dialogue heavy and less reliant on actions slowing down its momentum.
Kalamkaval becomes a procedural police drama by the end of the film as the psychological angle to the serial killer is left untouched and unexplored. Stanley is shown to have multiple shades to his complex dark personality and this had psychological huge potential.
For instance, we see him sketch every single woman he murders in a notebook with a red pen in a room painted red signifying the bloodshed he commits. Yet, he also loves his old maroon Honda car and his wife and kids unconditionally.
This deep psychological contrast is presented to us very matter-of-factly and we don't get to delve into the murderer's inner cracks. We never understand why and perhaps this was the intention of the writers/director but Kalamkaval ends up lacking depth and originality as a result.
While the director tries to present the story from a new angle which is commendable, Kalamkaval seems like a missed opportunity for him as the film could've been outstanding. It turns out to be just another film about a serial killer except that it has fine performances by Mammootty and Vinayakan which elevate the script.
Kalamkaval undoubtedly sees a fine performance by Mammootty - perhaps one his best as anti-hero - and this role should have been a cakewalk for a talented star like him. The conviction with which he essays the dark Stanley Das is superb and it makes the character more believable. The 74-year-old Malayalam star must be praised for his boldness to take on such negative roles at this stage in his outstanding career.
While most heroes would think twice about playing the role of a serial killer, Mammotty's positive attitude shows his appreciation for good cinema and eagerness to constantly present new facets of himself to his fans and audience. Vinayakan has done a splendid job as Nath, playing the role very calmly and understatedly; this cop role is a definite feather in his career cap.
Technically, the film is sound with Pradeep Prabhakar's masterly editing and Mujeeb Majeed's invigorating background and songs. Cinematographer Faisal Ali has done a decent job as well. There are numerous artistes, like Ravisha Vijayan, Shruti Ramachandran, and Gibin Gopinath, who come in various character roles but these are not fully explored in the movie. All in all, it is Mammootty's highly 'devilish' act against Vinayakan's underplayed cop role that makes this movie a compelling watch.
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Mammootty, Vinayakan
