Gold Coins Malayalam Movie
Idyllic stories have a special place in Malayalam cinema. Most writers succumb to the need to pepper the stories with tiny complications so they reach the ultimate 'happy-ending'. Children's films happen to be the worst exponents of said formula. Gold Coins is one such film, which wants its story and treatment to be excused just because it belongs to such a brand of films.
Pramod Gopal writes and directs Gold Coins with admirable idealism. He is all praise for the old-fashioned teachers, soldiers and environmentalists of the country. In his film, there is no grey area; an individual is either good or bad and karma punctually does its bit. The two protagonists of his innocent tale, brothers Kichu(Master Vasudev) and Achu(Master Gopal) are the breathing mouthpieces of the writer/director's compulsive perspective on how children should lead their lives. Alas, Gold Coins forgets to be a film and becomes a two-hour long moral science lecture.
To be fair, Gold Coins has a few bright spots. Vasudev's chirpy performance as Kichu justifies the screen-time he gets. The child actor's turn is not restricted to just look smart and cute. He is equally good at delivering emotional dialogues in convincing fashion. Besides, he has a fascinating protective instinct for his elder brother, Achu; a pleasant role reversal. Sunny Wayne's bizarre little role as an enigmatic, benevolent figure is also oddly amazing. The debonair actor's character is called Katha, meaning 'story'. His character is then a positive figment of Kichu's imagination, during tough times, which drives the kid towards his destination. So, we can slowly see a film that is trying to do something special amid its hotchpotch of a narrative.
Yes, cinema is always a useful device to speak what is necessary. Children's films, in particular, can do wonders to its target audience through a number of creative ways. But, when all the other dimensions of cinema are shunned down in favour of preachy, one-sided storytelling, it becomes an insult to the medium. Gold Coins is a failure that reminds it is high-time children's films, at least in Malayalam, step up their game.
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