Anchakkallakokkan

While the screenplay is loose in places (especially in the second half), Anchakkallakokkan benefits from having a fairly strong technical team to back it up. This is a period film (the year is 1986), unraveling in a fictional town on the Kerala-K'taka border. It's also a partial whodunnit, as the film begins with the midnight murder of a prominent landlord in the area. The first act doesn't emphasize this, as it's busy acquainting us with various characters in/around the hillside town's police station. While the film takes the perspective of Vasudevan (Lukman) as a means to introduce the period setting and characters, it gradually becomes clear that deeming him the protagonist is pointless. Each character is a protagonist in their individual stories (or subplots), while we arrive at the key antagonist in a slow-burn, twisty reveal.

The production design and art departments seamlessly recreate a politically wavering era, and the performances hold it all together. The guys who played the Gillappi brothers (one of them is from Angamaly Diaries, and the other reminds you of a young, dancing Vinayakan from Maanthrikam) were entertaining as hell, and whenever the film mildly showed signs of a slow-down, their entry (or re-entry) would fire things up. There's an entire set piece dedicated to them right before the interval, which was both neatly choreographed and captured. The second act is spent in connecting the murder-mystery dots while simultaneously making us understand the relevance of the film's title. Manikandan Ayyappa's score is extremely significant to the proceedings, and a major factor in raising adrenaline levels during the extended fight scenes.

I think where the film failed to hit the bullseye is in its writing. This is clearly the case with Lukman's character transformation, which is quite sudden and unconvincing. The film's title is justified, though the route taken could have been better etched. Also, when the film goes into whodunnit mode, it tries to interweave multiple subplots together, complicating things for a little while before wrapping up nicely. The visual effects are also barely okay, and that's understandable given it's a low-budget flick.

P. S. Ullas Chemban becomes another promising name to watch out for, in the future.

P. P. S. I have a feeling the film will work ONLY in theatres, if at all. OTT reviews aren't likely to be very positive.

The last 20 minutes of a movie is a treat, it gives you a a Quentin Tarantino fest. With all of the baddies coming to a one major showdown. The writing could have been a little better the way it ended. The build up was such that u expected a little more tighter finish. Because the expectation bar was raised to a great level during then last action sequence, wish they would have shown the lukman character evolving and his self discovery on a better note.

. Chemban vinod acted well. Cinematography is top notch so is the folk music. The Ending leaves u with a feeling of being rushed thru. However The Overall still a descent watch.

My only criticism would be the fight scenes should have been way shorter. They were dragged on which made it boring. Realistically, even professional mma fighters in the ring don't last more than 5 minutes between rounds, so this made the fight scenes all the more lame. Otherwise, there was that suspense element, with different characters and how their personalities unraveled as the movie progresses. Casting was on point. No big names but an entertaining script held it together. Cinematography was amazing, capturing what happened from different angles. Kudos to the team. These days, no one cares if the movie is under 2 hours long. It should leave an impression in people's minds, with something new.

The storyline fails to captivate viewers, lacking the depth needed to engage them fully. The performances by the main characters feel clichéd and fail to bring anything new to the table. The fight scenes suffer from lagging and fail to deliver the excitement expected, leaving audiences feeling bored. Additionally, the absence of suspense diminishes any potential intrigue the film could have offered. The climax was disappointingly predictable, leaving much to be desired in terms of creativity and execution. The screenplay, meticulously crafted, seamlessly weaves together intricate plot threads, while the choreography enhances the narrative with its precision and fluidity. Moreover, the judicious selection of shooting locations adds depth and authenticity to the film's backdrop, elevating the overall cinematic experience.

Anchakkallakokkan is one of those rare style-over-substance films where the style is very much blended with the rustic rawness of 80s Kerala that is not often seen. The most stylish characters here are the Gillappis who are presented with so much style and at the same time very rustic that if you think about how such characters with these specific qualities shown in the film would have been portrayed in the past, it would be either for comic relief or as pure villains unlike here which itself makes this worth a lot for me. The action set pieces are intricately designed to feel the rawness of it while being stylish. The shaappu fight in the middle was amazing, the only thing I would've wanted there was a little bit more blood because a lot of those would be way more damaging if it was real. I also loved the final showdown even if it felt like dragged just a little bit more than needed. Lukman's character is used for an introduction to the area and then we are moving through a lot of different stories contained in this village. Splicing his backstory a little bit more throughout would have worked a bit more for the viewers to invest in him more as a protagonist at the end because the gap between the focus given to him seems to have worked against having someone to really root for. Overall, there are a few issues with the writing which if they'd have done better, this movie could have been really great. Personally, Lukman's character was very relatable in a lot of ways and loved the ending so much and that end credit song slaps.

Even though it is understandable why they chose the title of the movie, it being a hard-to-pronounce word unless you have heard it before has been a major setback for the film as many have said it's too weird of a title to even try watching the film.

This movie could have been really great with better writing but even now it's a very well-made film that would benefit from a theater watch.