'Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka' movie review: A visual treat for children

(U) 129 min 15 sec
Cast: Anoop Menon, Bhavana, Sanoop Santhosh, Siddharth
Director: Kalavoor Ravikumar

It’s heartening to see that Mollywood still has filmmakers having juniors as their target audience and the idea reservoir hasn’t dried up yet of well-tailored scripts for children. From this aspect, Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka is worth its salt.

The story unfolds in the family of a dutiful NSG commando Goutham Keshav (Anoop Menon) and wife Shahida (Bhavana). The character names alone are enough to bring out visions of a whirlwind romance and union from the past. Two quirky brats form the central characters — Neeraj and Niranjan — portrayed by Siddharth and Sanoop Santhosh.

The happy yet anxious wait of the mother and kids for the dad’s homecoming forms the opening sequence, upon which spreads a pall of gloom so soon. The commando gets killed in a terrorist attack. The news channel footage puts the time stamp on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The unforeseen bolt from the blue lands the trio in utter despair for a while, only to recuperate and move on.

The boys, in the meantime, chance upon the killer of their dad, underworld don Karim Usthad (Makarand Deshpande), head of a terror outfit. From here, the plot takes an unrealistic turn. Niranjan, nicknamed chemical, an expert at handling chemicals and compounds launches a head-on attack with Karim using the skills he is best at. To his support is his elder brother Neeraj. In a heady mix of patriotism and vengeance, the kids steal the show. They succeed in avenging the death of their father, only after which the lawmakers’ role gets significant. From beginning till end, the movie has shown justice to its most projected highlight, that it’s a children’s movie.