Kaanekkaane Review: An Emotional Thriller With A Different Ballgame

Kaanekkaane Review: 3.5/5

Thriller films are all about messing with your mind. That’s why we’re such fans of it. Mix it with a few familial sentiments and emotional moments, the story gets even more intriguing and thrilling. Kaanekkaane uses this exact formula to strike a chord. The film is directed by Manu Ashokan and is written by the scriptwriting duo, Bobby-Sanjay. The film stars Tovino Thomas, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Shruti Ramachandran, Binu Pappu, Prem Prakash and others.

Premise

Kaanekkaane tells us the story of Paul (Suraj Venjaramoodu), a Deputy Tahsildar at a village office in Pala, who is grieving the loss of his daughter Sherin (Shruti Ramachandran). Sherin passes away in a hit-and-run case. His son-in-law, Alan (Tovino Thomas), is now married to Sneha (Aishwarya Lakshmi) and leads a happy life. Paul is fighting a case to bring closure to Sherin’s death. Under certain circumstances, Paul starts becoming a threat to Alan and Sneha’s oh-so-good family life. The truth behind Sherin’s death and the impact Paul has on Alan and Sneha’s lives form the remainder of Kaanekkaane.

Slow Burner Kind Of Writing

Kaanekkaane’s brilliance lies in its script. We all know of Bobby-Sanjay, the writer duo, for their brilliant scripts. With Kaanekkaane, they have proved yet again that they are excellent screenwriters. The slow burner kind of writing, with the creation of several elements of doubts, makes Kaanekkaane an interesting watch. With proper character development, Bobby-Sanjay makes sure that Kaanekkaane is not merely a thriller, but is a film that tugs at your heartstrings as well. While the storyline is built brilliantly and has a good flow, the climax is not a crowd-pleaser, for sure. The film’s ending is unconventional for such a storyline.

On-point Direction

Manu Ashokan is a filmmaker who proved his worth as a craftsman with his debut film Uyare. With Kaanekkaane, he strikes again. His clarity of the process and what exactly he needs from his cast as well as the vision for this film is evident in the way he has shot the movie. There are several moments in the Kaanekkaane where the actors stand out, thanks to Manu’s superb clarity of the story and characters. He maintains a sense of mystery until the end, and that’s what you should wait for.

Acting Performances

The cast put forward excellent performances. The show-stealer in Kaanekkaane is none other than Suraj Venjaramoodu. His portrayal of Paul, the grieving father, keeps the viewers on their toes. His performance is so natural that you would call him the perfect thriller protagonist. He is on a dream run and has given yet another noteworthy performance, deserving of several accolades.

Tovino Thomas as Alan is great. His sense of uneasiness and the portrayal of a disturbed individual is natural and doesn’t go overboard at any moment. The Tovino-Aishwarya duo doesn’t feel new; rather it was refreshing to see them share the screen again. Shruti Ramachandran, on the other hand, has managed to do her part effortlessly.

Child actor, Master Alok Krishna also deserves a mention. He was able to bring an excellent grip throughout the movie. Needless to say, almost everyone keeps up with the expectations of their character.

Let’s Get Technical

On the technical side, Kaanekkaane has a soulfully composed music and background score by Ranjin Raj. It has definitely garnered a spot in our Spotify Playlists. The background scoring is apt and gives the required tension and emotional element for the scene. Kaanekkaane also has some slick editing by Abhilash Balachandran and beautiful cinematography by Alby Antony.

Should You Watch Kaanekkaane?

Paul’s search for truth instils a sense of tension and eagerness among the viewers to know what exactly happened. Kaanekkaane has a storyline that demands the actors to put forward convincing performances since there is no scene to elevate the emotional elements and highlight them. The emotions are conveyed through gestures and minimal dialogues, rather than lengthy monologues and dramatized sequences. It definitely is a film you should watch with your family. It is surely worth a watch, do not miss it!