Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu

Even in a flop film like Alamara, Midhun Manuel Thomas was able to create witty moments through conversations and characters. Humor is his safe zone and the kind of humor we have seen in every movie that Midhun Manuel Thomas has associated with is indeed the saving factor of the new movie Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu. The screenplay that is wandering without a clear aim or conflict is the major demerit of this otherwise funny film.

The story is set in Kaattoorkadavu where football is a passion for people and like any place in Kerala where there is love for football there were two gangs in Kaattoorkadavu as well; Brazil fans and Argentina fans. I can’t tell you specifically about what this movie about. Over the course of two or three world cups, Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu shows us the developments in the life of the lead pair of the movie; Vipinan and Meher.

The fact that you can’t precisely show any particular conflict here is the major issue. The love track between Vipinan and Meher and the love for football are two trails that should have merged in a seamless manner. But here both tracks feel too distinct. Even though you will laugh for the humorous dialogues and witty situations, there will be definitely that question at the back of your mind about what this movie wants to communicate. The fan fight between the gangs does offer a lot of moments of laughter and whistle worthy instances for the actual fans of these football teams. But beyond that, the script is on the ordinary side.

Kalidas Jayaram seems to be more in his comfort zone when he is performing this kind of comedy. The naïve charm and his natural sense of humor have got utilized here. But the actor clearly fumbles when the scenes at times abruptly become emotional. Aishwarya Lekshmi has tried to bring in a change by slightly tweaking the dialect. She has a free-flowing attitude in performing, but Meher became way too stiff when she becomes emotional or overly tough. Aneesh Gopal who was really good in Theevandi as Safar was impressive here as well as Sunimon. I hope the actor won’t let himself get typecast as a murmuring comedian. Karikku fame Arjun Ratan and Anu K Aniyan are there in small roles and if you are a hardcore George fan, who wishes to see a lot of Anu K Aniyan on screen, keep your expectations really low. Abu Valayamkulam who has done the casting for this film has brought a lot of new faces in this movie and most of them were able to create a good impression.

Midhun Manuel Thomas is keen on having comedy in every instance in the film. At times it works in favor of the film and there are times where that strategy just doesn’t work. Actually the football part of the story is a tool to give some life to the largely ordinary love story of Vipinan and Meher. In fact that part of the story has some similarities with Midhun’s first film as a writer, Om Shanti Oshana. While OSO dealt with the transformation of a girl, here the focus is on the transformation of fans (or the lack of transformation). After a considerable gap, the music from Gopi Sunder felt catchy. Visuals by Renedive were fine. The editing was messy as it failed to bring a balance between the two narratives.

Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu is that passable comedy which won’t stay in your head once you leave the cinema hall. It has enough comedy moments to make you sit through it. The scattered screenplay and the disjoint nature of the love track and the football fandom makes it a bit underwhelming.

Rating: 2.5/5

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By Aswin Bharadwaj

Founder and editor of Lensmen Reviews.

View all of Aswin Bharadwaj's posts.