In the introduction of Dhyan Sreenivasan’s character in Higuita, he plays football with a bunch of kids, failing to stop an easy goal. He is shown as this naïve young man, afraid of everything. You imagine that the film will be about his transition, turning into a Higuita-like player, given the title. But through the entire film -- another clichéd narrative around Kannur politics -- Dhyan plays an unreadable character, mostly a silent observer of what goes on around him. It is Suraj Venjaramood, playing a tall leader (literally, with a huge cutout introducing him) of the Left, who Higuita revolves around. The film has nothing new to say that its predecessors didn’t, and the making doesn’t help it stand out in any way.
Higuita had run into controversy when the film’s title was announced and writer NS Madhavan took objection, since it carried the same name as his famous story, based on the legendary football player. A court ruled in favour of Hemanth G Nair, the writer, and director of Higuita, since there was no connection between the story and the film.
Hemanth’s script has little to do with football. It plunges into what it has to say in the first few minutes when a killing takes place and we hear the mention of both the Communists and the Sangh. At this point, it is fairly clear that this is yet another film that will follow the popular culture stereotype of Kannur politics. The film is not short of sexism either, carrying lines that mock fear when shown by a male.
Watch: Trailer of the film
The makers appear clear in their politics – portraying Communist workers and leaders as corrupt, hypocritical, and casteist. A few “good Communists” are also thrown in for good measure. In what seems like a balancing act, the writer is also critical in his portrayal of the Sangh. Based as it is on Kerala politics, the Congress party, one of the key stakeholders in the state’s politics, is conspicuously missing in all the action. Interestingly though, the film’s thanks cards begin with one for the Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor.
Regardless of the stand the film wants to take, the making leaves a lot to be desired. Scenes cut into each other poorly, and characters seem written half-heartedly. Dhyan’s Ayyappa Das is impassive throughout the film though the character -- a coward in the beginning who apparently changes through the course of the film – has a lot to convey. His name is used to take another dig at the Left, when a leader says, “We don’t need Ayyappan (referring to the Sabarimala controversy), Das will do.” Another prominent actor, Binu Pappu, gets not a single line to say. Even so, he is perhaps the best performer of the lot. A good show also comes from Suraj Venjaramood, who effortlessly turns into Panniyannur Mukundan, appearing menacing to some and gentle to others.
They have made it obvious which real-life leader Mukundan is based on – portrayed as a man who was nearly killed in front of his wife years ago, and later comes back actively to Kannur politics. All the gimmicks to build up this larger-than-life figure are played out in order – at first a huge cut-out on the road, and then a piece of especially loud music marking his entry. The music, as songs and in the background, is often ill-fitting and always bothersome.
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