Language: Malayalam
Director – A.K Lohithadas
Writer: A.K Lohithadas
Cast: Mohanlal, Lal, Manju Warrier, K.P.A.C Lalitha, Siddique.
Genre: Drama
Imdb: Kanmadam (1988)
Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
A.K Lohithadas, one of the most renowned writers of Malayalam cinema, the man behind many soulful characters; he always excites us with nourishing contents and magical screenplays. It’s in his genesis to understand, observe, look deep into people’s emotions and putting all these into the paper. Kanmadam is the best example of that.
The movie focuses on the journey of the protagonist Viswanathan (Mohanlal) from Mumbai to Kerala. Viswanathan and Johnny (Lal) have an encounter with Damadoran which unfortunately leads to Damodaran’s sad demise. Viswanathan takes a journey to Damodaran’s native place to pay back his debt. Both Viswanathan’s and Johnny’s characters are like two sides of the same coin. The movie then takes us along with the protagonist. At each phase, the evolution of this man is shown. Writer/Director has maintained this journey of Viswanathan very grippingly. When he meets Bhanu (Manju Warrier), he had never seen a lady like Bhanu before, neither has Malayalam cinema probably. Such an elegant, fierce woman. Lohi shows another perspective of women’s beauty. Bhanu has many layers to her. All the Asuran (Tamil movie) lovers who praised Manju Warrier`s acting in Asuran, must see her class acting in this.
The unexpected situation in each point is very interesting, creates pain and clutches the audience. The movie was a huge commercial success and completed 100+ days at most theatres, during its theatrical run back in 1988.
To all realistic movie lovers, this is a must-watch Lohithdas film.
Verdict: 6/7 Stars.
Brilliant.
