In the 1990s, after he made a few films in varied genres, director Shaji Kailas had plunged straight into the heart of action cinema, where his heroes were unbreakable and no one else much mattered. Many years later when he got the script of Kaduva, Shaji took it back to a time he had thrived in, the 90s, and set it there. Prithviraj fell comfortably into the black shoes and white clothes of Kaduva Kuriachan, the newest of Shaji’s unbreakable heroes, living the life of a rich Pala businessman and estate owner, frequently getting into trouble. Back in the 90s, movies were not yet called ‘mass’ but Kaduva fits right in, written line by line, action by action, padded with music and effects, for the masses. Only, it’s too formulaic, and does little to excite.
If Kaduva is the first of its kind mass action film you watch, it may work. But after you have been handed so many of these from various industries, there has to be more than the basic ingredients. Jinu Abraham’s script has the ingredients, but lacks the wow factor. After an expected bit of buildup by a prisoner in the jail, Kaduva Kuriachan shows up in full gear – the black shoes and the ends of mundus always get a close-up in these scenes. What’s new to the gear is a ring with the growling face of a tiger. To complete the Kaduva effect the background score turns into a growl every time Prithviraj decides to fight back and does his pounce kick on the enemy.
The BGM (Jakes Bejoy) is pretty effective, every time the hero scores and walks away or into a scene. The stunts are designed for the fans, enemies flying in all directions as Prithviraj punches and kicks, leaving no mark of the attack on his sparkling white kurta and mundu. In one sequence that’s made it into a poster, he lifts and drags two men on each of his hands. But the story follows the formula, giving the hero a tough time before his comeback.
Watch: Teaser of the film
After his stint as villain in Lucifer, Hindi actor Vivek Oberoi once again teams up with Prithviraj in an unflattering role. And once again actor Vineeth dubs for Vivek’s character Joseph Chandy, an IPS officer in the good books of the ruling government of the 90s. Janardhanan plays the white haired corrupt Chief Minister, resembling a real life politician of the time. Other politicians of the script bear thinly veiled similarities to their real life counterparts. But the film had begun with a disclaimer denying any reference to real life stories, one it needed to carry for 10 seconds straight because of a petition against the portrayal of Kaduva Kuriachan. A man called Jose Kurivanakunnel had submitted to a court that the film portrayed his life and the court insisted on a change of name of the hero. The film team obliged.
The script however has no huge backstories. It is all happening in the now and you can watch with a comforting assurance that nothing bad will happen to the hero. Not even his smirk – that Prithviraj wears through the film – will ever be wiped out. There are no twists and turns, but a straightforward tit for tat that goes back and forth between hero and villain with cheerleaders for both sides. Samyuktha Menon playing the insignificant wife of Kuriachan is hardly even a cheerleader. She is the quiet understanding wife in a sari, making cakes at home and tending to the three kids they have. The sidekicks – Alencier and Baiju – have more to do than her. Talented actors like Arjun Asokan, Priyanka Nair, Sudheesh and Karamana Sudheer have barely noticeable roles.
The film starts and ends in the middle of nowhere, extracting a slice of Kuriachan’s life. You do get to taste a bit of nostalgia in seeing land phones, Doordarshan’s intro theme and a single television reporter in front of the CM. But the rest of the film is just a nicely edited long and unexciting script.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.