Film Review.
Villains and Vegetables! KKPT offers a deal- A ‘’malayali’’ villain for the industry.
From Tanjore sarees to Athangudi tiles and Hyderabadi Biriyani-for decades in a row, Malayali owes TN and Telengana for the wide spectrum of different goodies and artefacts that continues to take a deep-seated acceptance in the home ground. Among them are two most inevitable supplies, crossing the border more frequently and can be seen in silver screens and dining tables- villains and vegetables- both turns out to be a staple diet for Malayali audience. We might still have to depend on neighbouring states for vegetables, not Villains anymore. Santhosh Damodar from Krishnankutty Pani Thudangi (KKPT), ‘’debut actor and malayali villain’’ is both a trailblazer and a promise to the industry.
Malayalam cinema until recently flaunted iconic actors who gave soul and substance to the villain characters they performed. The scenario has changed quite dramatically and non-malayali actors started taking up the screen space until Krishnankutty Pani Thudangi (KKPT) happened. Of all the genres of contemporary cinema made in Malayalam, film noir or thriller is probably the most difficult movie category to define and KKPT definitely help set the parameters of the genre.
Like a good thriller protagonist, Santhosh Damodar, flaunts his villain role with audacity and grit that it is impossible for anyone to identify him as a debut actor. As deep shadows, paranoia, surrealism lays the backdrop for KKPT, the cruel and indefatigable character played by Santhosh perfectly blends with the end-to-end capriciousness offered by the film.
KKPT sits on the border between thriller and horror genres, and it’s one of the few films in the category to ever be made with such subtle yet strong message. Interestingly, Santhosh as the villain contributes to the grisly elements of the movie, at the same time he is in the receiving end of intensive gore and violence.
While the gruesome hunt would be engaging enough throughout the film, KKPT uses this shadowy backdrop as a way to explore child abuse and the dynamics of trauma and revenge borne by a young girl whose role is played by Saniya Iyappan.
Although the film garnered a lot of applause, there’s more to this movie and the villainous role donned by Santhosh whose subtle reactions add a certain aesthetics and poignancy to the plot. His role cleverly mirrors the young girl’s deep-seated tales of torture and violence and the traumatic roller-coaster that defined the years of her growing up.
The Avant-grade gesture underneath the obvious thriller movie is laudable and the plot carries in it an essence of poignancy, surrealism and curiosity providing a satisfying and unpredictable conclusion too.
One problem that’s usually evident in movies that opt for non-malayali villains is the projection of ‘’style over substance’’ in the characters they play. Santhosh fills in the void in this context as he adorns his villain role with such grace and aggressiveness.
Grim and brutal landscape goes hand in hand with the minimalist existential dialogues in the movie. A gripping retro theme in costuming and soundtrack adds on to the overall packaging of KKPT as a thriller. Above all, it is definitely the contributions of its actors that define any movie. When a debut actor takes on the centre stage, determinant to play the unglamorous role, the results are horrific which sums up why exactly the actor cum producer Santhosh turns out to be the key element in this film. He is gloriously real and his dynamic portrait of a man who tortures a young girl all along her years of growing up exemplifies his inevitable part in the absorbing thriller movie.
Without a second thought, Santhosh has taken a stellar choice in taking up the role of a villain and he proves to be a sophisticated villain – a promise for the south Indian movie industry.
-Radhika Retnam
