What if there is a film that emotionally captures you and keep you so thrilled that you almost forget your surroundings or even the absence of a song sequence and become engrossed in it?
Dinjith Ayyathan’s second directorial Kishkindha Kaandam was released on 12th September and its popularity has only continued to grow up to the time of drafting this article.
Dinjith Ayyathan’s second directorial Kishkindha Kaandam was released on 12th September and its popularity has only continued to grow up to the time of drafting this article. Ayyathan’s first film was Kakshi Amminippilla (2019) which was an above average film starring Asif Ali in the lead role as in the second film. The title Kishkindha Kaandam refers to the fourth book of Ramayana where Rama and Lakshmana strike their fraternity with the vanara (monkey) in their search for Sita. The film stars Asif Ali, Vijayaraghavan, Aparna Balamurali and Asokan in lead roles.
The story surrounds the life of Appu Pillai (acted by Vijayaraghavan), an ex-military man and his son, Ajayan (acted by Asif Ali), a forest officer, living together in their late 90s mansion near a reserve forest. Their routined and uneventful life is interrupted by two events the upcoming election and the second marriage of Ajayan to Aparna. The film is a psychological thriller organically and carefully threaded to leave no gaps. The moment the film becomes so, the director and cinematographer craftfully, integrates different elements to build up the suspense and maintain increasing its degree at each turn of events.
The unbreakable father-son bond in Kishkindha Kaandam
Unlike the films where the strained relationship between an ex-military father and a son is shown, here a more understanding connection between them is screened. This understanding may not be visible in the first glance, but their chemistry is an integral factor that keeps the story head in the forward direction.
Appu Pillai maintains his way of self-sufficient and free life without depending much on anyone. He plays a complex, yet familiar father who is keen on leading a life of solitude in his later years. His relationship issues with his first son and the others surrounding him adds a mysterious air to his self. Irrespective of all these, he is that strong pillar of the family.
Ajayan is an understanding son who knows to read even the silence between them. He takes care of his father, knowing his geriatric issues and takes all effort to make things easier for Appu Pillai. He also becomes a symbol of the trauma experienced by the family for the stubborn decisions of the parent. The scene where Aparna and Appu Pillai get into a fight and falls apart, Ajayan runs to pick his father whom he loves the most, he is the dearest part of Ajayan’s existing life.
It is through the entry of Aparna, the newly wedded wife of Ajayan that their story also moves forward.
It is through the entry of Aparna, the newly wedded wife of Ajayan that their story also moves forward. The audience identifies themselves through the introspective character of Aparna who has a keen eye for everything. Her relentless pursuit takes the narrative of Kishkindha Kaandam to the next level. Thus, she becomes a foil for the audience whose emotions and sensibility are colored by Aparna. This is an affective technique for emotional manipulation to keep the audience under control.
Screenplay and background music
Of the many Malayalam films that literally shook the theatres this year, Kishkindha Kaandam makes an individual milestone in screenplay and background music. It is the support of the tightly pinned down screenplay that glues the audience to their seats. At the same time, this screenplay is well executed by the rightly chosen array of actors starting with Vijayaraghavan.
All the characters literally live the script and not even once they become strangers to the story. Another important element is the repetition of the cycle of events as it takes place in the mind connoting the working of the human brain. And evidently, its impacts in the psyche of the humans surrounding the events.
Though Kishkindha Kaandam does not make use of any song sequence, its absence is not even noticed by the audience, since the film caters and engages the viewers throughout. The background music used are those chosen individually with utmost delicateness so as to fill in and complement the scenes and major turn of events. Specifically, the background music used towards the end carries heavier meaning and helps in the proper flow of emotions.
The music director of Kishkindha Kaandam, Mujeed Majeed, himself has said in one of his interviews that his bgm for the film was inspired from Interstellar. Combined with this the sequenced scenes run out in unison. Therefore, it emerges as an excellent example of music direction and cinematography.
Nuanced minor characters in Kishkindha Kaandam
The cast of Kishkindha Kaandam is limited and few in number yet, their acting is enough to make the narrative full and accommodated. For example, the presence of Sivasadan, though few in between reveals his loyalty and attachment to the family. Though nothing much is said about him, he is an all-knowing character and there are several hints to this. But his nuanced performance makes it difficult to make a decision. He is one of the protective forces to the family who keeps them informed of the outside happenings and comes to comfort them as a close relative.
Sumadathan is another minor character in Kishkindha Kaandam who is talked about more than appearing.
Sumadathan is another minor character in Kishkindha Kaandam who is talked about more than appearing. He is a friend as well a close observer. Jagadish has lived this character with finesse that he emerges with the identity of Sumdathan with ease. The character of Prasobh, Amrith Lal and Jacob too is exordinary in their acting styles and emotional showcasing. Next important event is the coming back of actor Nishan as Sudheer, a forest officer and his caliber even in his cinematic gap has only increased.
In most thrillers, the audience are impelled to guess the outcome and the culprit. Unlike them, Kishkindha Kaandam moves forward without giving the direction of suspense and unravels the incidents one by one, tangled in many other details. The strange feeling deployed throughout combined with the isolated location of the house impedes the coming of an event enshrouded in mystery by nature. The monkeys in the shots are signifier of the personified identity of nature, encapsulating everything within.
Kishkindha Kaandam is also significant because of the actors Asif Ali and Vijayaraghavan, since their capability for skinning the characters are extended to a heightened level after this film. Asif Ali’s personal development as an actor is definitely expanding through his recent films and it reached a climax where he gave his best so far here.
Well for Vijayaraghavan, he is an accomplished actor for all these years and thus, he meticulously played the role of Appu Pillai, his mannerisms and dialogue delivery were a major addition for the film. Definitely, Kishkindha Kaandam is a masterpiece that will be written in the golden period of Malayalam cinema.
And as said in the end, ‘it is not morality, but concern that groups them together and life is an endless tale of acts.‘ Hence, it justifies for non-guilt experienced by the audience or the characters in the film and it reaches a level of catharsis without guilt and the audience too becomes an accomplice in the thrilling mystery. This feeling of unifying the motifs from the characters and audience point of view without developing the feel of guilt is an exemplary achievement for the filmmakers.
