In some ways, Kakshi Amminippilla is an extension of the recent Malayalam hit Thamasha. Both movies are social satires that show the fascination we have towards external beauty. Even though Kakshi Amminippilla has this approach against body shaming, the greater emphasis was given to the idea of an ideal marriage. Kakshi Amminippilla is a small gem that has the quality to make you a happy person while leaving the theater.
Shajith Kumar Amminippilla is our central protagonist. He works in the Middle East. On his arrival to his native place, his family decided to get him married to a girl named Kanthi. Amminippilla who wanted a girl like actress Sumalatha just couldn’t get in sync with the reality that he is married to Kanthi who isn’t a conventional beauty. So he demands a divorce and things becomes interesting when an advocate named Pradeepan decides to take up his case that had no solid legal grounds. The fate of this divorce case is the soul of this social satire directed by Dinjith Ayyathan.
Structurally also Kakshi Amminippilla has a similarity with Thamasha. It also shows an insecure man with greedy demands. And by the time the movie ends, he becomes an evolved human being who finally understood what real beauty is. Almost 60% of the movie is largely focused on the fun aspect the idea gives to the movie makers. After that writer, Sanilesh Sivan infuses a lot of heart to the story and the movie gets the tone of a liberating heartwarming story about an odd couple. At one point I thought the movie sort of abandoned the character of Kanthi, but she makes an exciting comeback to the story. I kind of expected a Dum Laga Ke Haisha inspired story when I saw the promos of this film. But to my surprise, the divorce angle gave a really fresh perspective to the movie.
In the initial bits of the movie, I was a little bit uncomfortable with the slang used by Asif Ali, but as the movie progressed it sounded natural. And I was extremely happy to see him as a man of responsibilities. Ahmed Siddique deserves to be appreciated as the titular character never slipped away into that caricature zone. The star of the show was Fara Shibla who portrayed the role of Kanthi with utmost earnestness. Her expressions, especially in those courtroom trials were so brilliant and nobody in the audience will root against that character. Basil Joseph and Nirmal Palazhi were hilarious. A lot of actors from Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum are there in the film playing various roles. Vijayaraghavan as RP was memorable. And one actor whom I liked a lot other than Shibla was Srikanth Murali whose portrayal of the judge was so good.
Dinjith Ayyathan’s making style is inclined mostly towards the conventional style. But luckily he knows how not to overdo things. The humor goes along with the story. Even that unnecessary Thalassery glorification was blended into the narrative by introducing the character of Pradeepan’s wife. And the writer places many variations of the conventional marriage and it gave scope for genuine humor. And another good thing about the script was how they placed the journey of Pradeepan as an aspiring political figure into this story. The satirical attack against the arranged marriage concept was interesting and like I already said, the last half an hour of the movie has so much of heart in it. Bahul Ramesh’s visuals were impressive and he sort of made sure that things would look more authentic as the portrayal of courts and relationships in this movie are largely on the authentic side. The songs were placed smartly and the background score was also nice making sure the movie remains in its zone.
Kakshi Amminippilla is frequently funny, smart, satiric and progressive. This Dinjith Ayyathan movie may not be a path-breaking attempt, but it’s a movie that has its heart in the right place and as a viewer, it is so heartening to see makers and actors going after peculiar relatable subjects.
This Dinjith Ayyathan movie may not be a path-breaking attempt, but it’s a movie that has its heart in the right place.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
