I Am Kathalan

This movie didn't get that much screening time in the theatre like 'Premalu' and was a box-office failure but I did enjoy this one and once again Girish has done a good job in executing a good flick.

I couldn't find a reason why this film failed in the box office. Many people who watched the film were saying that the actress was a miscast but I don't agree with that view. Anishma has indeed delivered a fine and natural performance.

The director also went for a unique ending and I always admire this part of Girish's direction. Many positive comments were also seen from the audience for accurately portraying the IT aspects in the film. Overall a great watch.

When talking about authentic hacking in films, something like Mr. Robot or Blackhat might come up but even those are of a big scale with so much at stake where just the methodologies or tools are authentic and then it goes into the realm of cinematic liberties for the time and impact of it. But here, from the scale to the impact everything stays grounded along with stuff that has to do physically for the hacking to happen. Even though I haven't done things like that, I have used Kali Linux and done some mock workshops to identify almost everything that Vishnu does in this film, so that was really refreshing to watch.

Even though not as good as Girish AD's previous films, this also works greatly due to the small moments that add a lot to the film's soul. The main problem with this film is that it never really becomes a full-on thriller even when the story demands it to be. It's mostly a coming-of-age drama with some revenge angle that centers around hacking. Since this was shot before Premalu, some things that were more refined or effectively used in that film are not as good here. The subtle development and impact of minor characters with respect to the main characters without affecting the main story was done almost perfectly in Premalu but here, it needed a bit more work. The ending was a bit too early for the story since there were definitely possibilities left which usually would have had space for a climatic act. There were a few things that could've been done that would've made this more impactful overall.

But despite all that, this still has the relatability factor I found in Premalu, even if it is in smaller doses. There were a lot of places where I found myself relating hard with Vishnu, which also made me think about how different Girish's characters are from me, and yet they are still some of the most relatable characters I've seen in movies. He really showed me how much of the relatable heroes of the past were more like the perceived and normalized version of such characters in Malayalam cinema rather than actually feeling it.

The material feels apt for two 30-minute episodes of Karikku Fliq than a 1h 45m film. There aren't any highs or lows in the screenplay - just a matter-of-fact presentation of the plot. This makes it realistic from the hacking perspective, but simultaneously less thrilling from a cinematic standpoint. Naslen is once again a jobless youth with pending supplementary exams, but I shouldn't forget that the film was made before Premalu and lying unreleased for a long time. Anishma Anilkumar is okay; I'm not sure if this will open the doors to many future roles (2020s Sathyan Anthikad is probably taking notes). The rest of the cast (consisting of Dileesh Pothan, Lijomol Jose) is fairly decent. Also, to call this a techno-thriller-comedy would be a stretch. There are a few chuckle-worthy moments here and there, but the core remains the hacking bits. At least, Girish AD depicted it believably, subverting several cliches associated with hackers (both blackhat and ethical) while doing so. The music and cinematography are serviceable.

I am Kathalan

A small fun to watch entertainer set on the backdrop of a potential hacking threat to a corporate entity.

The plot of the story revolves around a young hapless guy who sets out to take a small revenge over a personal ego hurt he underwent.

Good story narration by Girish through Sajin's debut writing and has provided the casts with platform for performing through their vivid mannerisms and light humour moments.

Naslen has effortlessly performed the character role portraying the frustration and emotions of a failed job aspirant. Impressive performances by Dileesh Pothen,Lijomol,Anishma & Vineeth Vasudevan. Vineeth Vishwam,ZhinzShan,Kiran Josey & Arshad Ali made notable performances.

Kudos to Akash Joseph Varghese for giving a crisp and short fun to watch entertainer.

A decent attempt by Girish & team that gives a laid back experience to the viewers.

Rating - 3.25/5.

Simple story, great execution

Wonderful acting by all, ni glamour required, smooth story telling, excellent direction, to the point, smart.

I had liked this director's other moovie Premalu too.

Naslen K. Gafoor is one of my favourite actors.

Best wishes to the team for future projects.

Casting is also great, they have made sure that importance is given to story than anything else.

Keep doing such great work on such a smart scripts which are precise.

I don't think this movie has any song.

The locations are also great, precise and simple.

I want to see more such movies.

Thank you to the team.