Cast: Vinayakan, Dileesh Pothan, Priyamvada, Roshan Mathews
Director: Shanavas K. Bavakutty
The character Thottappan (god father) is a mix of everything — water, moonlight, kindness, crookedness and fatherhood. He values his love towards his adopted daughter.
The movie, directed by Shanavas K. Bavakkutty, narrates the story of Ithakk or Sara’s Thottappan and a missing man called Jonappan who live in a remote village.
Ithakk, played by Vinayakan, is a thief who is a soulful guy. His life takes a twist and becomes complex when his beloved friend Jonappan (Dileesh Pothan) disappears.
That leaves Ithakk with the responsibility of protecting Sara (Priyamvada), Jonappan’s daughter, and her mother. Ithakk is an aashan for everyone but Ismail (Roshan Mathews), who falls in love with Sara and wants to marry her. Ismail’s entry changes lives of Ithakk and Sara, leading to complex situations.
The way Vinayakan, who had a very controversial week off-screen, portrays Ithakk would leave viewers mesmerised. No one else would be able to do the job as he has done. He is very subtle, expressive and loud whenever the character traits demand. This is one of his best performances to date. Ithakk is someone who is rejected by society, but sometimes people need his help that brings back the memory of his role in Kammattipadam. Both Ganga (Kammattipadam) and Ithakk are oppressed.
Priyamvada, who plays Sara, did a decent job and considering the fact that her career is very short, she did total justice to the role. Dileesh Pothan, Roshan Mathews, Manoj K. Jayan, and the rest of the cast did their parts well.
That leaves us with the story. Adapted from Francis Noronha’s short story by the same name, the movie’s storyline and the script are good. However, sometimes the audience may feel the lack of depth. You may take Vinayakan’s character with you even after leaving the cinema. In a diplomatic way, the character Sara will also find a place in your hearts for her heroics towards the end. But the remaining characters lack the spark.
P.S. Rafeeq’s screenplay is worth a space on screen, but the impact is not that high. Shanavas’s first movie Kismath was very strong and it connected with the audience well. If one compares both movies, Kismath would definitely win. Editing, cinematography, and music are praiseworthy. Though the movie has loose ends in character presentation and lacks depth at times, it is a one-time watch.
