Kunjamminis Hospital, the new horror fantasy comedy from Sanal V Devan, is one film that struggles from the very beginning to give the audience an impression that something novel is about to unfold. Abhayakumar and Anil Kurian, who earlier wrote the techno horror film Chathurmukham, are somewhat repeating the same space, but this time in a humorous tone. With nothing really taking off from the conceptual level, Kunjamminis Hospital becomes this dull entertainer.
Riny is trying to revamp an old Hospital. Her father bought it years back and ran it as a lodge until it stopped operations due to a bad reputation. In her attempt to find an identity for herself, Riny decided to restart the old hospital, but the spirits of the people who died in the old lodge became a problem for them. How Riny and the team tackle these supernatural roadblocks in front of them is what you witness in Kunjamminis Hospital.
The lack of a solid central conflict is the movie’s main problem. The comedy feels more like fillers to extend the running time of this movie. And frankly, those jokes in the earlier parts of the film featuring Baburaj and the drunkards are just so outdated. The film invests a lot in the backstories of each character, and some of them are pointless side-track comedy that just doesn’t contribute to the main story. And how they have tried to link them all to the main thread toward the end feels more like a lame excuse to justify those track comedies.
Almost every actor is given a character that feels like a cakewalk for them. Indrajith Sukumaran as the doctor who wanted to have a great career, uses his typical caricature style for that character. Baburaj uses his usual buffoon-like goon avatar to pull off his role. Sarayu’s character is an inconsequential comic relief. Nyla Usha is perhaps the only actor who gets a challenge here as she portrays two variations. Even that doesn’t feel like a remarkable achievement. The role given to Prakash Raj sort of demanded someone of his seniority. But the amateurish writing made me wonder whether Prakash Raj deserved such a poor character. Mallika Sukumaran, Binu Pappu, Prashanth Alexander, James Eliya, Harishree Ashokan, etc., are also there in the elaborate cast.
The film is about these spirits wanting to leave Earth, and they are trying to find a way for that. But even to get that point, Kunjamminis Hospital is taking an awful lot of time. And once the solution is established, it starts to feel even more clichéd and silly. You don’t get to feel any freshness in the way hurdles are introduced in the script, and there is a sequence in the movie where Indrajith’s character feels validated after giving a life-saving tip. You just don’t feel any sort of goosebumps for that moment. And for some of the emotional instances in the movie they have forcefully squeezed in comedy. The climax portion felt like a beta version of Chathurmukham (thankfully less exhausting). The song placements were pretty old school.
A hospital with spirits trying to play with real human beings actually feels like an excellent premise for a fun horror comedy. But Sanal V Devan’s film is outright dull, with predictable beats and outdated twists. It’s not an insufferable comedy that tests your patience. The movie was just flat from beginning to end in terms of drama.
It's not an insufferable comedy that tests your patience. The movie was just flat from beginning to end in terms of drama.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
