Sakhavu Review : Journey through a real comrade’s life
The word Sakhavu (comrade) instills a sense of pride and zeal in every Malayali. The communist party has a glorious legacy that no other political party in Kerala can boast of. Thanks to that legacy, the party has a heroic image among the Keralites. Several movies have been made in Malayalam cinema to cash in on this heroic image that the party enjoys. Latest addition to that list is Nivin Pauly’s Sakhavu. The actor is playing a dual role as Krishnakumar and Krishnan.
Krishnakumar is a representative of the new generation politician, who has no sort of compassion to anyone. He is self-centered and never minds to use his party’s name to get things done. Upon instructions from his party seniors, Krishnakumar visits a hospital to donate blood to a patient, who is also a comrade, Krishnan. Rest of the plot shows Krishnakumar learning more about comrade Krishnan, through his friends and family.
Despite having a string of blockbusters in his kitty, Nivin Pauly was often criticised for doing roles within his comfortable zone. Sakhavu is Nivin’s befitting reply to all the naysayers. Krishnakumar was a role tailor-made for him but comrade Krishnan showcased an unseen side of the actor. He has played that particular role with a lot of maturity. Krishnakumar and Krishnan are two extremes and Nivin Pauly has given a flawless performance.
Another commendable performance in the movie was by Althaf, who played Nivin Pauly’s sidekick. With his humour, body language and peculiar voice, Althaf entertained the audience. The female leads, Aishwarya Rajesh and Aparna Gopinath also essayed their roles well. It was a very wise decision by the makers to use a dubbing artist for Gayathri Suresh. Other supporting actors like Sreenivasan and Baiju were also good with their performances.
Sidhartha Siva has carved a niche for himself in the industry with some ‘small’ movies. Sakhavu is his first attempt in a clean entertainer that has equal doses of all commercial ingredients. He has come out in flying colours in dishing out a screenplay that has enough elements to please audience of all age groups.
The movie starts off with a revolutionary song composed by Prashanth Pillai. And from there, he does not let go off that zeal and carries it successfully throughout the movie. His pulsating background score triggers goosebumps in quite a few scenes.
George C Williams’ cinematography is another major asset to this movie. He has not used the camera to showcase visual beauty but instead has chose to stay within the narrative. His realistic work draws the audience into the movie. Krishnan’s fight sequence with the flambeau is worth a mention.
The unwanted transitions and speed cuts in the edits could have been easily avoided. The movie has a lot of prominence to make up and the team have handled it neatly.
Sidhartha Siva has given a wonderful movie with a very relevant message about what exactly politics is and how a politician should be. In short, Sakhavu can be rated as one of the finest political movies ever made in Malayalam cinema.
