Kondal, the new Antony Varghese Pepe film, presents him with this title card of “action hero.” To an extent, that label becomes a burden for this revenge drama, as one can see the screenplay deliberately making space to accommodate the hero in the story. With almost 80% of the story happening inside a fishing boat in the deep sea, Kondal is fresh in terms of premise but pretty generic when it comes to how the drama unfolds.
Manuel is a fisherman from Anchuthengu, and we are shown that he is an outspoken person who won’t hesitate to question the powerful ones. One such tussle leads to a scenario where everyone suggests he should leave his hometown for a while. For that hiatus, Manuel opts for fishing work in a different harbor. The things that happened during that fishing expedition and the equation Manuel shares with his fellow crew members are what we see in Kondal.
A movie that came to my mind when I was watching Kondal was the 2022 film Adithattu, directed by Jijo Antony. It had a similar revenge-oriented premise, but the treatment was extremely compelling as the priority was on the story. In the case of Kondal, Ajith Mampally is trying to make a commercially appealing version of a rooted story. That commercialization is making the Kondal loud at times, and one could see the makers opting for fight sequences in order to fill the lack of drama in the narrative.
Antony Varghese Pepe is in that rugged attire, and he is in his comfort zone of action. When it comes to the technique, he was supposed to play a guy who belonged to Anchuthengu. Well, he has definitely left Angamaly but hasn’t really reached Anchuthengu. By giving an emotional scene where he talks about his niece, Ajith Mampally tried to push the actor in Pepe, but the output wasn’t that convincing. Dancing Rose Shabeer Kallarakkal is the main antagonist in the film, and he flexes his fighting skills effectively to make that character impressive on screen. Raj B Shetty is there in a prominent role, and it felt more like an extended cameo. Rahul Rajagopal gets a solid role in the film, and it is different from the usual set of characters he has played. Nandu and Pramod Veliyanad were solid in their respective characters. Sarath Sabha, Manikandan Achari, Nebish Benson, etc., are the other names in the cast.
The story here is a generic revenge story. It is actually the less familiar setting to the common audience that makes the movie interesting to an extent. The screenplay has portions where the character played by Nebish Benson, gets to know how people in fishing boats live during their days inside the sea. The second half of the movie is where the drama is happening. But since the burden of “from the makers of RDX” is there, the emphasis is more on action, and the storytelling becomes very linear. They are relying on certain set pieces to make it visually appealing, but the aspired level of excitement is not there for those bits. When the fishing hook accident happens in the first place, it is quite evident to the audience that it is Chekhov’s gun. The visual effects may not be perfect, but it doesn’t feel tacky.
The main reason why RDX worked, even for those who aren’t fans of action films, was the fact that the bad guys attacked the baby. From that moment, the audience is rooting for the heroes. Despite having a unique setting and multiple action blocks, including one that has a shark, Kondal is not able to create that moment where you would feel the rage inside the hero.
Despite having a unique setting and multiple action blocks, including one that has a shark, Kondal is not able to create that moment where you would feel the rage inside the hero.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
