Kaaval

Story: Bringing justice to the poor in their village, Thamban and Antony earn enemies from all walks of life, in their youth. When they grow old, the ghosts of their good and bad deeds are out to get them and their families.

Review: We have had many hit movies that rode mainly on heavy-duty punch dialogues and stunts, presenting the unleashing of the ‘beast’ within their heroes. One can’t help wondering how much the audience loves such age-old dialogue-driven narratives now. Suresh Gopi-starrer Kaaval, a movie that reminds one of many of his yesteryear hits, is a film that can’t help but trigger this thought.

Thamban (Suresh Gopi) and Antony (Renji Panicker) never feared in their youth to interfere in social issues or take law into their hands, to bring justice to those who deserved it, in their village. The deeds also won them numerous adversaries and aversion from the general public, eventually breaking their bond too. However, a day comes, on which the connection is rekindled, igniting its own set of repercussions.

It’s great to watch Suresh Gopi’s towering presence and action sequences on screen, for he delivers them with sincerity. Ranjin Raj has yet again offered some quality melody through this film and the song ‘Ennomal’ is sure to top music charts too for a while. The film’s story or its presentation, however, aren’t fetching enough to keep one genuinely invested in its proceedings. Its pace is quite sleep-inducing and even predictable in places, in the first-half. Though there is an investigative episode in the story towards the end, its late arrival doesn’t help trigger a sense of engagement, at that point. The story also raises certain unanswered questions in one’s mind, like the reason for the general public’s intense hatred towards the duo, despite them helping many. Kaaval might still interest die-hard Suresh Gopi fans and those who love feasting on wordy dialogues.