Kanal Review

Kanal, the Shikkar team’s much awaited movie had graced the silver screens of Kerala today. Mohanlal playing the lead role in this film directed by M Padmakumar and scripted by Suresh Babu. This team had already won the hearts of Malayali audience way back in 2010 when they came up with a film named Shikkar, which was one of the big successes of that year. So when they are reuniting after 5 years for another film expectations are bound to be there from the audience and when the name Mohanlal is there we not have to go and find another reason for high expectations on a film from the side of Malayalee audience.

In the film the central character played by Mohanlal is named as John David and the film is playing around 3 other characters as well played by Anoop Menon, Pratap Pothen and Atul Kulklarni. John David meets a man in a train journey. His name is Anantha Raman played by Anoop Menon. He is fed up with some financial as well as family problems and John David took him with him offering him help. But that was indeed a trap and the film tells why, what and how trap was set by John David.

And have to say at first that Kanal is a great comeback of Mohanlal as an actor. He is producing box office successes every year and this year too he has two super hits. But what he is not getting was that a role in which he can show us what he is capable of. And John David in Kanal was one like that. Mohanlal once again showed that why he is been hailing as the finest actor in the country. His subtle expressions, smiles which carries lot of meaning, deep looks, blink of eyelids and with every possible way he amazed us with his marvelous performance. Anoop Menon was another one who got claps for his performance. He had equal screen space in the film with the hero Mohanlal and he really stood up with the legend with great performance.

Suresh Babu’s screenplay was superb and the narration was tight as well. The flick has a mystery element working in it throughout the narration as well. Padmakumar once again proved that if he is provided with a good script, he is one of the best director in Mollywood. The climax part itself shows his caliber as a director and he had made it amazingly well. The flick not have much mass masala elements but tried to tell a relevant subject regarding the paid news system in our media culture. The slow pace of the film may feel as a negative to some but from the beginning to the end the film had maintained that pace. That slow pace does not make you bored as well as it is the need of the narration style.

Ouseppachan and Vinu thomas had composed the music which is not sublime but not bad as well. Songs here and there made the flow of the film a little slow but the flick had recovered well due to its good narration. Vinod Elampally’s DOP was superb and Renjan Abraham’s editing was crisp as well. The flick has been produced by Abraham Mathew under the banner of ABBAM movies and distributed by Maxlab.

Kanal in total is a film full of pure class. The performance, scripting and direction was superb. If you go to watch Kanal with an expectation of an entertainer it may not be as entertaining as a festival flick. But if you want to watch a film which tells a class subject in a classy way and which will not bore you then KANAL is for you all. We recommend it for you as good films are always a pleasure to watch.

Director : M Padmakumar
Release Date : 22/10/2015
Cast : Mohanlal, Anoop Menon, Honey Rose

Review : Harikrishnan