I Am Kathalan

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.

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.

The film entitled I Am Kathalan, can be classified as a cinematic work belonging to the technical thriller drama genres. The film was directed by Girish A. D.

The film's narrative is focused on the character of Vishnu, who is depicted as an engineering student. He possesses a high level of proficiency in the field of hacking and associated areas of IT. However, he has accumulated a significant amount of arrears in his college studies. Following the completion of their respective academic qualifications, his classmates secured employment. He is still struggling to complete the degree. He is romantically involved with Shilpa, who successfully completed the course and was recruited to her father's financial company as the head of the IT department. Consequently, the relationship deteriorated, ultimately leading to its dissolution. Following the incident with Shilpa's father, he sustained a blow. Vishnu harbours a desire for retribution against Shilpa's father. He opts for a course of action that centres on technical aspects as a means of achieving retribution. Vishnu obtained the MAC address of Shilpa's father's company's cloud infrastructure and subsequently compromised the entire system. This constitutes a substantial financial setback for the Periyadan Group, the company owned by Shilpa's father. Following the implementation of enhanced security measures, Vishnu successfully infiltrated the entire system once more. The company enlisted the services of an ethical hacker to identify the individual responsible for the hacking incident. The ethical hacker collected Vishnu's profile name. However, the system was subsequently breached on a further occasion, resulting in the entire server room being destroyed by overheating due to the devices being overloaded. In order to conceal his own address, Vishnu utilised the MAC address of Shilpa's fiancée. The scenes of the climax are of great interest.

The narrative was skilfully crafted and helmed, with a visually appealing quality to the delivery. The film has been meticulously compiled, incorporating all pertinent short references and technical terms with remarkable clarity. The performances are of a commendable standard, and the musical scores are effective in their use. The film is considered to be suitable for both watching and recommendation.

I Am Kathalan (I Am Lover) is a cool film to spend an afternoon on. Naslen assumes the titular role as he gets on with his cyber shenanigans to get back at a person who wronged him. This is a typical anti-hero film where you'll naturally root for the guy but it's the small pockets of humour and believable tech happenings that elevate the film into an enjoyable watch. Naslen is in his calm demeanour here (as last seen in Premalu) but I also like the other actors who put up a good show. Dileesh Pothan is as good as he gets but I'm starting to feel Anishma Anilkumar plays the same role in every film.