Njan Kandatha Sare Malayalam Movie
As a crime thriller, the protagonist of this flick springs a surprise the way he conjures up his fortune. Jokuttan, played by Indrajith Sukumaran, is an introvert and it is evident in his demeanour when he is introduced to a woman in a hotel room. In 'Njan Kandatha Sare,' director Varun G Panicker guides the plot through Jokuttan by shielding the mysterious element in his trait. Indeed, suspense is the anticipated facet in the tale but it entirely eludes the film in its shoddy execution. The major conflict is a sort of forced content that wears out amidst the stagnation of creativity. An actor like Indrajith lands in a frivolous zone of story-telling and his takeaway from such a soulless character is nearly void.
Set in Thiruvananthapuram, the film follows the life of taxi driver Jokuttan and his sister Anumol (Parvathy Arun). One night, Jokuttan witnesses a murder by chance following which he undergoes severe mental conflict. Next day, he realizes that Assistant Sub Inspector Sudev (Arjun Nandakumar) has gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Jokuttan reveals the incident to his friend Patrick, essayed by Baiju Santhosh, who advises him to inform DySP Sreekanth (Deepu Karunakaran) as police officers may topple the case. So, he calls at the police station and meets DySP Sreekanth. But that meeting sullies his hope of getting the reward announced by the police in the missing case of Sudev.
The opening scene of 'Njan Kandatha Sare' is the death of a college student due to ragging and her father (Alencier), a fisherman, runs from pillar to post for justice. Fingers point to the son of shady businessman Sathyaraj (Sampath Ram), but police grope in the dark about the case. Written by Arun Karimuttam, the focus of the tale is shifted to the family of Jokuttan and Anumol, who have no parents. Since he becomes a witness to the murder, Jokuttan approaches the police with the hope of getting the reward for passing information. The interrogation sequences at the police station expose the dearth of creativity in the plot, resulting in creeping in of mundane moments.
The repeated scenes at the station between Jokuttan and a woman police officer with whom he had chatted on social media unknowingly turned out to be time-consuming tools. Besides, the scenes of Patrick at the police station fail to spruce up the narrative, instead prolonging the proceedings. Most of the action in the latter half occurs at the police station but the events hardly impact the fate of characters. Unfolding the climax appears to be a perfunctory deed by the director; still the final moments show a tad potential aspect of the plot thread. The cameo appearance by Anoop Menon as police chief in the evidence gathering procedure as part of investigation is only a passable affair. Absurdity rules the roost in the decisive parts of the film where the way a person is framed as an accused in a case is explained illogically.
A solid screenplay and gripping treatment is absent in 'Njan Kandatha Sare' and not surprisingly, the whole structure of the film is devoid of the strong punch required for a thriller. Indrajith has been offered an effortless task here, forcing the actor in him to take just a stroll through the screen. The intended camouflaged trait in the protagonist's demeanour fails to attain a grip in the narrative process and that affects the film as a whole. Appearance of Baiju Santhosh is riveting but the script hardly leaves any room for him to step up his performance.
This lukewarm thriller is a package of wobbling narration and uninspiring writing about a murder case. The movie shows some signs of progress only towards the later stages, delving into the dictum: "Better late than never."
