Ankam Attahasam TamilYogi Review: Director Sujith S. Nair presents Ankam Attahasam as a blood-stained, gangster type film with a lot of dark frames, local jargon, old-time resentments in bruised men and the feeling that at the end of every scene someone is getting stabbed. So at the heart of this chaos is Madhav Suresh, who unarguably has the screen presence for commercial cinema, although the acting seems stiff and unfelt. The greater surprise is Shine Tom Chacko. As his eccentric speech and unpredictable energy gradually become the emotional heart of the movie, the audience is drawn into his world.
The film gradually takes the audience into his world as his strange dialect and unpredictable energy slowly become the strongest emotional core of the film. Finally, a cast of brutal action stunts, a sooty Thiruvananthapuram environment and a score that sometimes outshines the story itself make for a movie that’s entertaining despite its shortcomings. But under all of the violence and the intensity the screenplay never gets the emotional momentum that would make this gangster story work after the credits.
The film is directed by Sujith S. Nair and written by the duo of Sujith S. Nair and Anilkumar G, and it starts off on the right foot, displaying the visuals that alert the audience of impending doom, mystery and danger. There is always an atmosphere that something is going to explode, round the corner. Then Madhav Suresh shows up, and the first thing I noticed is that he’s on a screen. He has some weight when he’s in the frame. I had never seen his earlier films so well, but he definitely has the makings for a commercial film.
But acting is still a big challenge for him. His facial expressions are awkward, his responses are scripted, and the timing of his speech is not natural. Even scenes with strong emotions go astray, as the expression is not used correctly. The introduction dialogue “If you are one who speaks alone, tie him up and beat him,” is performed as a mass moment, but it doesn’t sound as intense as it could.
The most interesting thing about this is Shine Tom Chacko. At first, the casting was an oddity as it had him portraying the Thiruvananthapuram gangster in a heavily-stylized slang that combines several local languages. A few times, I was really having trouble comprehending what he was saying. When someone says “Vettikkeerikalayumada azhukkappayale” the speaker does so with great conviction but may leave some people unfamiliar with the speech puzzled. However, as the movie unfolds, the character becomes more and more emotional. The facade of hostility hides a hurt gangster with visible pain and regret. It becomes the character arc’s most poignant part, and Shine Tom Chacko delivers on it with great conviction. His weak eye is more powerful than his over-aggressive attitude.
There was one thing that I like about the writing, the hero never turns into a gangster for egoistic or stylish reasons. When it comes to violence here, it’s survival. Everybody around in this world is already caught up in the web of crime and Madhav Suresh’s character is longing to be one of them. That desperation brings the setup realism and the script is well aware of this environment. But knowing the world, and being able to make for a compelling screenplay is two very different things.
The movie is committed to its raw look. The whole thing is littered with brutal fights, stabbing scenes, and bloody confrontations. Some scenes have a clear intent to be shocking, but a few scenes are accidentally awkward. I did not feel uncomfortable or tense but at times I felt uncomfortable in an awkward fashion. A fairly well-played first half with a loss of clarity in the second half. The movie is definitely conscious of its objective, but doesn’t know how to get there without a lot of stumbles. Characters continue to beat one another, knives keep showing up, bodies keep dropping and the story starts to get repetitive. The script doesn’t build tension and emotional investment, becomes a series of action scenes with decreasing power.
That’s where the real kicker is. There was no great moment I could single out that really gave me joy. The best gangster film has really compelling moments when the audience can’t help but want someone to be alive, to get out of there or to strike back. Here, there’s no such rush. The film keeps on snorting from one confrontation to the next, before coming to an end. I watched it and learned it, then I moved on and didn’t bring much emotion with me.
The supporting cast do what they can to keep it together. Saiju Kurup steps in only in the second half, as a beaming manipulator, who reminded me of the sly characters that used to grace the veterans’ Devan. Maqbool Salmaan has minute roles but his dialogue “We have no objection to real fighters” has an impact. Nandu rests easy in this role and again makes good use of his abilities. The already overcast screenplay gets an extra bizarre twist with M. A. Nishad, who as an enraged father wants his daughter to become a nun. There are also several other characters who feature throughout the story: Alencier Ley Lopez, Sibi Thomas, Noby Marcose, Akhila, Amit Mohan, Anna Rajan and Sminu Sijo. In particular, Anna Rajan, a bit of a fashionista, emerges as a feminine gangster.
The movie is good rather than great, if by that you mean not bad. In technical terms the movie is not bad, it is good. Director Sivan S Sangeeth does a good job of conveying the foreboding mood, particularly in the night scenes. Editor Pradeep Shankar could have cut the film a lot tighter since there are several scenes that have no real purpose. The music by Sreekumar Vasudev and Gayathri Nair is definitely not bad but there was one song that really brought to my mind “Doore Doore Aazhi Penn” from Geethanjali. The background score, by Anto Francis, is appropriate for the mood. The action choreography by Phoenix Prabhu, Ashraf Gurukkal and Robin Tom are enough to give the film the necessary gnashing of teeth and some overkill too.
Ultimately, Ankam Attahasam is neither a failure or a success. A film that is pretty entertaining, well done on a few good lines and performances, particularly Shine Tom Chacko, it has a gangster element to it with some moments of sincerity, decent character motivations and a few good moments. However, it fails to be impactful because of poor execution, low emotional connection and too much reliance on repetitive violence.
Rating: 2.5/5
