Nadir Shah seems to already be a master entertainer. Just two films old, but with years of experience in setting up entertainers, he has already carved a niche for himself. With his second film, ‘Kattapanayile Rithwik Roshan’, the director has again hit the bull’s eye after ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, whipping up quite a colourful entertainer. There are no surprises as far as his making is concerned. But the humour is breezy and packs a punch. To his credit, he did do something unconventional in this film, opting to cast an unexpected new comer and building the narrative around it.
The story did demand someone like Vishnu Unnikrishnan, who played the central protagonist to don the role. The plot is centered around Krishnan Nair aka Kichu, who is named so after the real name of yesteryear superstar Jayan. It is Kichu’s father’s ardent wish to make his son a film star. But the son, with his average looks and dark skin is the butt of jokes, until he lands a role in a film. This small appearance on screen changes his status in his village. He too feels that he is meant for cinema and waits for the big break. Incidents following this, forms the tale.
Nadir Shah has taken care not to make this a mindless laugh riot, adding elements of emotional and moral significance. He had used a similar formula in ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ successfully. Its all happy ending and warm feelings in the end, leaving a taste of satisfaction for an average viewer. The humour is palpable and there are many laugh out loud moments in the movie. Also the village setting and sequences are very relatable and well conceived.
The cast is impressive in their respective roles. Vishnu who is actually the co-scenarist of the movie has done a very convincing act. The funny tactics of Dharmajan and Salim Kumar has worked extremely well. The female leads Lijomol Jose of ‘Maheshinte Prathikaram’ fame and Prayaga Martin shows good screen presence. Kalabhavan Shajon was good in his role. The movie is also technically sound in terms of cinematography, editing and song sequences. Bipin George and Vishnu have come up with a good script and Nadir Shah has executed it well. Of course there are problems in some sequences what with the crass jokes about females, the predictability of scenes and lack of novelty in narration. But overall the movie is a good attempt and an entertainer worth the watch.
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