You may feel exhausted hearing the same rant week after week that Malayalam filmmakers are stuck in a time warp. It is not that only the old timers are stuck in the rut, but even the rank newcomers too, do not show the gumption of treading off the beaten track.

If you are wondering why these emotions have come to such a boil, it is because of watching Kabadi Kabadi, starring Kalabhavan Mani and Mukesh, and helmed by debutant director duo, Sudheer Manu.

In the beginning you get feeling that this film may turn out to be a mix of Mani Ratnam's Agni Nakshatram and Siddique-Lal's treatment with the onus on comedy. However fifteen minutes down the line, you realise this is a C grade pedestrian stuff you expect from a film with Mani in the lead. The kind of material he chooses to work with as a protagonist compels us to keep our distance.

The story is of two step-brothers at loggerheads with each other; both aspiring to be police officers like their father and to be posted in the same village. This is a prestige issue for both because they take it as an opportunity to prove legitimacy of their lineage.But before that, they will have to fight it out in a Kabadi ground for an annual tournament held in the memory of their father.

Thus, this is the wafer thin storyline of the film with Kalabhavan Mani and Mukesh playing the two brothers supported by the usual gang of comedians -- Idukki Jaffer, Harisri Asokan, Suraj Venjaaramoodu and Bheeman Raghu.

To keep a level playing field for the leading men; heroine Rambha is given a double role -- modern and traditional � which gives her enough scope to display oomph and coyness at one go.

Kalabhavan Mani has his own brand of intensity that we're all very familiar with. However, he brings nothing more to the fore. He could have done with a little underplaying.

Mukesh tries to be a foil for Mani's intensity and balances his performances well.

All seen and suffered, this is one movie where its okay to give it a miss.

Rediff Rating: