Review: Kaanchi falls short of expectations

Paresh Palicha feels even the hit pair of Indrajith and Murali Gopy could not save Malayalam film Kaanchi.

When a film carries the intriguing tag-line 'Tale of a death foretold' (obviously inspired by Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez's classic novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold) you sit up in your seat expecting an interesting experience at the least.

But Kaanchi, with Indrajith and Murali Gopy in the lead, promised a lot yet falls short of expectations.

Written by renowned bilingual writer Jeyamohan and directed by Jeeyan Krishnakumar, it’s the story of two people, who are unlikely to meet or mingle in ordinary circumstances.

Perungodan Narayanan (Murali Gopy) is an underworld don with a penchant for looking up the horoscopes of people who cross his path as his own horoscope says that his life is in danger. He has made a list of people who may become his nemesis. He has even checked the horoscope of his younger brother played by Shine Tom Chacko.

At the other end of the spectrum is Madhavan (Indrajith), a simpleton running a grocery shop. His marriage has been fixed with Gowri (Maria John) who comes with a hefty dowry, which his father, played by P Balachandran, thinks will help get a good groom for his daughter.

These two story lines come together when Madhavan witnesses a murder committed by Naryanan just outside his shop. Madhavan is threatened from two sides. On the one side is Perungodan Narayanan who tells him to be silent and not to agree to become an eyewitness in the case against him. And, on the other side is Narayanan's arch rival (Joy Mathew) who is the victim. 

The script by Jeyamohan has no layers or distinct characteristics -- it’s very basic and the film depends on the actors and the cinematography by Ravichandran to hold the viewers' attention.

There is a device used whereby a revolver follows Perungodan from the beginning to the climax. It’s novel initially, but repeated shots of the pistol following the lead character become boring after a while.

Murali Gopy adopts a stylised gait and has a perpetual evil smirk on his face. Indrajith is the comic ordinary guy in the first half of the film and transforms into a heroic persona in the very late stages of the second half.

Shine Tom Chacko and P Balachandran are the only ones worth noticing in the supporting cast. Joy Mathew, who has become ubiquitous in Malayalam cinema, just repeats himself here.

Kaanchi, despite its star duo of Indrajith and Murali Gopy, and a script by Jeyamohan, falls far short of expectations.

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