Kaduva Movie Review: The smartest thing about Shaji Kailas' Kaduva is that it is a '90s film that is set in the '90s (landlines were form of communication, Doordarshan still ruled and Palmolive scandal is mentioned). As any Malayali movie buff might be aware, Shaji Kailas was known for directing masala potboilers in the era featuring superstars in their most alpha male mode - what we like to call as meesha pirippu roles - where they took names and kicked ass, folded their pristine white mundus with a swag that feels so good to watch on the big screen amidst a rousing audience and delivered lengthy monologues. Kaduva is right in the territory where Shaji Kailas is at his most comfortable, and Prithviraj Sukumaran is at his top form here. The thing is, we are in 2022, so has the audience evolved beyond Shaji Kailas brand of cinema? Kaduva Movie Review: Fans Hail Prithviraj Sukumaran-Starrer As Mass Entertainer On Twitter.

There is good news here, and there is, sadly, bad news too. The good news being that Kaduva is a better movie than the last time Shaji Kailas and his new hero collaborated, which was Simhasanam. Simhasanam was a ripoff of Mohanlal's 80s hit Naduvazhikal, which itself was inspired by Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece The Godfather (another of Shaji Kailas movies - The Don - was a ripoff of The Godfather). In terms of narrative and mass appeal Kaduva is leagues ahead Simhasanam, and even in fact, ahead of any movie of the director post Drona 2010 (a super-flawed but guilty pleasure clone of errr... Manichitrathazhu). The bad news is, Kaduva still only passes muster thanks to its formulaic storyline, pacing issues and a predictable plot.

Prithviraj plays Kaduva Kunnel Kuriyachan, a rich planter living in Pala in a huge mansion with his wife Elsa (Samyukta Menon) and three kids. However, the first time we meet him, he is in prison for a crime we are told afterwards of. But even before Kuriyachan makes his first appearance, the prison wardens and the audience get a rousing buildup of him as someone to not mess with, a kaduva in figurative sense (the tiger shaped ring on his finger hammers the point home).

However, I never really got why the buildup was so needed, since the flashback scenes that followed doesn't really build up to that reputation. Sure we see a sexual predator of a priest (Rahul Madhav) being transferred to Kuriyachan's parish so that he gets appropriately punished by Kuriyachan. But even then, we don't see him actually live upto this image of being a one-man institution.

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Still, Kuriyachan is definitely a Shaji Kailas hero. He is surrounded by his acolytes, played by Alencier (who stepped into a role that Jagathy would have played in a Shaji Kailas film) and Baiju. His wife loves being the veetamma and remain on the sidelines. Kuriyachan is respected throughout the village, save for his quarrelsome neighbour (Arjun Ashokan). And he gets a mighty foe in the form of IG Joseph Chandy Manjiledathu (Vivek Oberoi).

An interesting aspect of their clash, unlike other Shaji Kailas films where the enmity is already established even before the movie shows us, is that it begins with a mere bruised ego that later builds into a major battle of wits and power. Even more interesting is that this ego clash between two individuals has been the plotline of two Prithviraj movies in recent time - the enjoyable Driving License and the fantastic Ayyappanum Koshiyum. So while this might be Prithvi's fave plotline, considering the reception to the other two movies, Kaduva, unfortunately ends up being the weakest of the three.

Anyway  Shaji Kailas taking that route to establish the hero vs villain arc is a refreshing change, but still it becomes more of an aberration in a film when the hero is an undefeatable force and the villain nealy one-note, despite the mentions of a tragic past. Kaduva sticks to Shaji Kailas brand formula in terms of a hero being bombed by roadblocks one after another by the antagonist, only for him to rise like a phoenix, brushing off the ashes like it was mere dandruff on the shoulder, and taking over the dice to create his own game. Kaduva is predictable that way. And since the movie is set in the '90s, Shaji Kailas indulges in his favourite pastime of taking political digs - Janaradhan's character in the movie reminds you of a very popular CM then - without hurting the current regime. Kaduva: Dubbed Versions Of Prithviraj Sukumaran, Vivek Oberoi’s Malayalam Film To Release In Theatres On July 8.

At least, there is no item song here, the liberal hero in Prithviraj might have a say in that, even though Kaduva still lacks a strong female part.

Kaduva is not without its thrills, though, some really good ones at that. The action scenes - despite always being one-sided - are stylishly shot strengthened by the BGM and the camera angles, and Kaduva raises the bar of storytelling for some time, post interval, when we learn about Kuriyachan's plan to undo his enemies. Afterwards though, it's back to dullville with a perfunctory climactic fight scene and the needless addition of another villain who has psychological issues.

At least, Prithviraj is in rocking form here, making best of the one-man show here, and using his striking good looks, rough-tough body language and deep baritone to make an impact. Vivek Oberoi, on the other hand, feels like a missed opportunity to create a formidable baddie, since the movie keeps him surprisingly offscreen for most of the time. While actor Vineeth's dubbing works wonders for him as it did in Lucifer, Oberoi's performance is hardly striking. Among the supporting cast, Alencier is the only actor who makes some impact.

Final Thoughts

As far as Shaji Kailas' filmography goes, Kaduva is one of his better movies to come out in recent times, though that bar is way too low to make anything of it. The movie sparks of a few good thrills and Prithviraj is in fine knick, but Kaduva just couldn't escape the shackles of the formulaic narrative that it has binded itself in.

Rating:2.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 08, 2022 12:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).