Kanakarajyam Review | An Inept Script That Uses Indrans’ Innate Likabilty as a Shield

If the song Nanmayulla Lokame needed a brand ambassador, a face to project its essence, actor Indrans would be the ideal choice. His innate humility and the kind of roles he has been getting off late (barring Anjaam Paathira) have made him this torch bearer of goodness. I am talking about his on and off-screen persona in my review for Kanakarajyam because this movie, directed by Sagar, is basically exploiting that image to narrate an inept story of empathy and compassion. It is one of those films that uses goodness in the content as an excuse to get pass marks.

So Ramettan, an ex-military man, is the central character of our story. He has been doing the duty of security of a prominent jewelry shop for some years now, and he has a great reputation. Things took an unfortunate turn when a robbery happened at the bank under his watch. Everyone blamed him for sleeping at the time of duty, but Ramanathan knew that something was fishy. With the jewelry owners not enforcing an investigation, fearing a bad reputation, our man is on his own to find the thief and clear his name. How he does that is what we see in Kanakarajyam.

As I already said, the writing of this movie by Sagar is somewhat making the relatability an excuse for not having any sort of finesse in the making. The miseries of middle-class and lower-middle-class families are not something alien to the audience, and we have seen and appreciated many great films that explored that space. But the script of Kanakarajyam is like an AI-generated collage of those genre cliches. Some characters have this deliberately amplified insensitivity just to show the audience the struggle of a particular character. In the movie’s second-half, when the hero is struggling to prove his innocence, I was hoping the film would take the shape of an investigative thriller. But Sagar makes it way too convenient for the hero, and the hurried forgiveness angle of the script feels so flat.

There is an inherent likability to Indrans, the human being. I am not saying the movie is not demanding any sort of acting from the National Award-winning actor. There are a few instances in the last quarter of the movie where he truly impresses us with his understanding of the character. But predominantly, this movie is trying to cash in on that likability associated with his name. Murali Gopy, as Venu, is trying his best to showcase the cluelessness and fear of that character. But somewhere, there is a forced nature to his anxiety, and because of that, the performance looked a little too animated in some scenes. Leona Leshoy and Remya Suresh, along with Achuthanadan, get to play these poorly-written insensitive characters. Rajesh Sharma should seriously consider reinventing his drunkard, panicking expressions.

There is no effort here in terms of writing to make the narrative compelling for the audience. From the moment we are shown that Ramettan has a security job and Venu has financial problems, anyone with common sense would anticipate a robbery. The loudness of the family pressure on Venu just doesn’t let you empathize with him. After the robbery also, there is no tension in the narrative. In order to achieve closure to the investigation of the hero, Sagar is making things too easy for the hero, and many of Ramettan’s unsuccessful efforts to get some lead just feel like runtime extenders.

It is not that difficult to find characters and put them in difficult situations to create stories. The relatability factor might work in favor of the movie in setting up the plot. What makes a movie impressive is how it conceives a conflict and addresses it. In both those aspects, Kanakarajyam is a pretty sloppy film that just goes after safe options. If the “goodness” in Jayasurya’s interviews and social media content has given you goosebumps, this one might also make you feel good about humanity.