Udumbu

Suppose you belong to that rare section of the audience who sensed a little bit of improvement in Kannan Thamarakkulam’s craft while watching the trailer of Udumbu. In that case, I am sorry to disappoint you. Only Dinesh Pallath has changed. Brand Kannan Thamarakkulam still knows how to maintain mediocrity. Presented as a thriller film about a goonda, Udumbu is Kannan Thamarakkulam’s tribute to the soft porn movies of the 2000s. With a terrible script that desperately goes after sleaziness, the 106 minutes long movie is a test of patience without a doubt.

Simittu Ani, a notorious Goonda, is our main protagonist. He is the main man of Bharathan. Ani is married to Hima, and the relationship is not a smooth one. Hima was totally disappointed in Ani because of his profession and toxic nature. The movie Udumbu focuses on the events that happen in the life of Ani after he gets convicted for a murder.

The cinematic grammar usually defines a purpose for slow motion, low angle shots, close up, wide, silhouette, etc. Kannan Thamarakkulam and DOP Ravichandran have broken all those rules in this movie. I would say they have created a new visual language. Even if Senthil Krishna yawns, we will see it in a silhouette low-angle slow motion shot. The DI technology that shows two different skin tones for one person is unique. I can’t remember what exactly the word was. But in a sequence where a politician is handing over money to Ani for killing someone, the BGM literally says “dirty money.” Giving clarity to the viewer is indeed an important thing, and Thamarakkulam ensures that even the 5-year-old kid will get the scene’s meaning.

The foundation of any movie is the script, and here that foundation is horribly flawed. As I said, Udumbu felt like a tribute to those soft porn movies that became a trend in early 2000. An unfaithful wife and some repeated sensuous scenes just to titillate the viewer. The back-story of Hima and her schooldays lover is a cringe-fest. And you kind of know what all will happen in that track of the story. There are multiple subplots in the story that doesn’t make much sense. The movie’s second half is almost like, what if Amal Neerad directed Vadakkunokkiyanthram. Some of the songs are hilariously bad, just like the background score.

Senthil Krishna may have achieved the rugged look needed for a gangster. But his voice modulation and dialogue delivery felt gimmicky. A major reason for that was the extremely lazy and clichéd dialogues. The heroine of the movie, Angelina Lysen, plays the role of Hima, wife of Ani. On paper, it might look like a vulnerable character that offers a lot of scopes to perform. But it’s just an opportunity for a glamour exhibition when it comes to the movie. Hareesh Peradi and Alencier Lopez play those typical loud bad guys. Sajal was forgettable in his role.

If you are planning to watch this film because of a trailer that made the movie look like some gangster saga, then let me tell you that the trailer is a scam. The whole action and violence part in the story doesn’t make much of a difference, and the visual gimmicks in those portions are tough to tolerate. Some movies are so bad that the comments from the audience will be more entertaining than the film. Udumbu is one such unique experience.