Girish AD, in his latest film I am Kathalan, uses a lot of tropes that have been proved to be successful in his previous films. The extremely talented young actor Naslen, who has featured in all of his films and played the lead role in his last directorial hit Premalu, returns to play the titular role. The film attempts to emulate the director’s skill in weaving narratives around specific objects and settings, like the watermelon in his debut Thanneermathan Dinangal, a girls' hostel in Super Sharanya, and the city of Hyderabad in Premalu — this time through the 1994 Tamil film Kadhalan, directed by Shankar. 

I am Kathalan, different from the Tamil Kadhalan as explained in the movie, also tries to poke fun at the male gaze through its characters, reminiscent of the director’s digs at male characters portrayed in Arjun Reddy and Hridayam in his previous films. While this approach fits comfortably within Girish’s usual style, this reliance on familiar elements ultimately makes his latest work feel underwhelming.

The film opens with a famous 1993 quote from The New Yorker magazine: “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” This sets up an intriguing opportunity to explore how anonymity in the digital space allows students to create alternative, dignified identities they may lack in real life, and how parents are often unaware of their children’s activities in an increasingly tech-driven world. However, despite briefly addressing this theme, the unclear script and shallow character development make the film feel more focused on male victimisation than on delivering a cohesive story.

Vishnu, played by Naslen, is at risk of losing his Christian girlfriend Shilpa (Anishma Anilkumar) because of multiple issues – unemployment, religion, and his economic status. The only thing he is good at, and respected for, is his knowledge of hacking. Even though Naslen’s performance is on par with Premalu, the redundancy of the character typecasts him with nothing new to offer. 

There is a memorable dialogue by Shilpa on how an inter-religious marriage, even if conducted traditionally, is a revolution in itself. But we hardly get to see this ‘revolutionary’ element. Instead, the flashbacks of how the two met fail to leave a lasting impact, if not come across as silly. 

However, an important scene that takes the conflict forward — a conversation between Vishnu and Shilpa’s father Chacko Periyadan (Dileesh Pothan) — stops the story from faltering. What forms the crux of the story is the revenge taken by Vishnu against Chacko Periyadan, causing various troubles in his finance company through hacking. 

The script, written by Sajin Cherukayil who also plays a fun character in the film, does a neat job of sticking to the basics of hacking and not boring the audience with too much information. Since the story is more tilted towards Vishnu, his friends and their antics, Shilpa’s character turns out to be rather dull and lacks a proper arc. The character of Simi, played by Lijomol, also feels like it was written in a rush and is aimed to only provide a closure to the conflict.

Unlike Girish’s previous films, the use of music is sparse in I am Kathalan. The usual fast cuts are missing and the situational humour barely lands. A passing reference to Tamil films Mudhalvan and Gentlemen, directed by Shankar, turns out to be the only memorable humour. Overall, the film has plenty of fun moments, but they fail to fully support its premise. 

In one scene in the film, a bored Vishnu plays the dinosaur game when there’s no internet. This might just be the best way to enjoy this film to its fullest — approach it like the dinosaur game.

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.