Kunju Daivam

It might look preachy, message driven and dramatic from one perspective. But what I liked about the movie Kunju Daivam on a story telling level is the way it ended. It ended in a really unexpected way and that increases the impact it wanted to create. Powered by the charming performance of Adhish Praveen, Kunju Daivam is that engaging movie you will find enjoyable even after it having flaws.

Sixth standard student Joseph (Ouseppachan) is our main protagonist. He is an extremely religious kid who depends on prayer for each and every thing. At one point his laziness and dependency on prayer results in a situation which gives him sleepless nights out of regret. In atonement he decides to help someone who needs it and chose to be with a girl who suffers from kidney failure. How that decision shapes him in his idea about religion and prayer is what Kunju Daivam talking about.

Kunju Daivam is not like an amazingly fresh content with cinematic nuances to its credit. It is more like a story. But where it gains edge is through its satiric dark humor and some of the statements it makes about the opportunist mentality of organized religion. It uses humor to a good extent to make the communication engaging and at the same time it is speaking out its politics clearly. The gradual self realization of the small kid is presented neatly on screen and with Adish Praveen making the character believable, the film works for you in its entirety.

Adish is the star here by all means. The writing of the film has melodrama and the young boy has reduced it considerably through his performance. He doesn’t make the enthusiasm of the young kid look manipulated on screen. I really loved the way Siddhartha Siva carried the role of the priest. Joju George was a fine choice for that small role as he behaves like a genuine guy. Reina Maria, Shyambhavi, Shoolapani are the other main actors in this movie.

Jeo Baby has tried to keep preach less evident. But there are spaces in the writing part of this movie that goes to clichéd moments of spoon feeding nature. But the performances have helped the film in reducing those glitches to a good extent. And like I said, the climax of the movie happens in a very unpredictable way and there is a level of symbolism and simplicity which makes the agenda of this movie stronger. Technically the movie isn’t that strong and aspects like visuals, music etc. aren’t that great.

Kunju Daivam is a 90 minutes long film that manages to communicate it’s thoughts without much compromises. The performance of Adish Praveen and the humor driven statements about religious beliefs makes it an interesting movie.

Rating: 3/5