Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira Movie Review: An off-target, messy comedy

Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira Movie Review: Althaf Salim displayed a remarkable ability to extract humour from the most unexpected situations in his directorial debut, Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela (NNO), a sweet little film about a family's encounter with cancer. It was a refreshing take on a storytelling device often employed in our cinema to accentuate drama and emotional intensity. Althaf travels down the same road in his latest film, Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira (OKCK), but dials up the extravagance and eccentricity. Most of the primary characters in the film are going through some heartbreak or trauma, and it looks like the director was aiming at a fun portrayal of these varying degrees of depression. However, unlike NNO, which benefited greatly from its understated-but-strong emotional core, OKCK fails to forge an emotional connection, making it feel like we are watching the goofiness unfold from a distance. It's like we are never really a part of this crazy ride.

Director: Althaf Salim

Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Revathi Pillai, Lal, Suresh Krishna, and Anuraj OB

Althaf thrives in quirky situations and quirkier one-liners. So when we first see Nidhi (Kalyani Priyadarshan) requesting her fiancé Aby (Fahadh Faasil) to come riding a white 'halwa-like' horse for the wedding ceremony, you know something crazy is about to happen. And it does. He falls from the rogue horse and ends up in a coma. On hearing this, his father (a fantastic Lal) says, "He has always been a question mark to me... but is now in com(m)a." There's no bawling or heartrending music; just another day in Althaf's universe, where almost everyone we meet is caricaturish. One of the characters aptly calls it 'vattanmarude lokam'. This is something the film often does. It's self-aware. So every time things get a bit too OTT, a character will say, "Kurach over alle?" (Isn't it a bit too exaggerated?) or ask "Kathayil evdenkilum logic adikunnundo?" (Do you find any logic in this story?).

The first half of OKCK largely chronicles Aby and Nidhi's love story and the events that lead up to the bad fall. There's nothing deep or serious about how the romance blooms. It is just a result of some minor conflicts and confusion. But the actors' charm keeps things light and running, with sufficient dollops of humour, served both verbally and visually. Lal and Suresh Krishna are hilarious as Aby and Nidhi's fathers, who first come together in a hospital to have a serious discussion on their kids' future while sitting on an MRI scanner table. You don't need any dialogue there; just the sight of it is enough to elicit the laughs. But that said, not all the jokes in the film land, with some falling terribly flat. But it seems like Althaf wasn't really concerned about it as he tries to mount the film with even more funny situations and one-liners.

Amidst all the fun, OKCK attempts to draw our attention to serious topics like depression and mental health, albeit not very effectively, as Althaf doesn't give it the necessary focus. Aby comes from a dysfunctional family, where his brother is neck-deep in debt and has a broken married life, while their father is constantly contemplating about killing himself to reunite with his late wife. After a fallout with Nidhi, Aby befriends Revathi (Revathi Pillai), who is also nursing a heartbreak. Aby himself is unable to deal with post-coma complications. Among these threads, only Revathi's part holds some depth, which is also largely due to the actor's graceful performance. However, it is quite strange that Kalyani's Nidhi, who until then had a prominent role, completely vanished from the film after Revathi's entry. Although she returns towards the end, it doesn't make any impact as we never feel the depth in Abi and Nidhi's relationship, which is supposed to be the base of this whole story. So, when the film expects us to root for the characters, everything feels vapid.

OKCK starts off with Nidhi's character stuck somewhere between dream and reality. Later on, Aby also experiences the same. But none of these ideas are properly fleshed out for us to travel along with these characters. Fahadh Faasil tries his best to adapt to the film's over-the-top tone, but the actor doesn't seem to be at ease. Lal is the only actor who understands the assignment properly, towering over everyone else with his hilarious counters and expressions.

With its overall fun vibe and a stellar cast, OKCK could have well been the dark horse of the season, but with all the tonal inconsistencies and a messy narrative that takes one too many detours, it somehow limps its way to the finishing line.