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Not Mammootty or Jyotika, my heart goes out to Sudhi Kozhikode in Kaathal - The Core

Sudhi Kozhikode’s Thankan in Kaathal - The Core is a character that is so well written and enacted that he feels real and remains with you long after you’ve finished watching the movie.

Dhwani Desai

Jan 06, 2024

Sudhi Kozhikode as Thankan in Kaathal - The Core (Courtesy: Amazon Prime Video)

Everyone’s been talking about Mammootty and Jyotika’s Kaathal - The Core and for all the right reasons. The film is heartfelt and the sensitive and innovative way that director Joe Baby has handled the subject deserves applause. While there has been a lot written about the lead pair's performance in the film, which is authentic, my heart goes out to Sudhi Kozhikode’s Thankan, a character so well written and enacted that he feels real and remains with you long after you’ve finished watching the movie.

While the attention in Kaathal - The Core is largely on Mathew (Mammootty) and Omana (Jyotika) and their sufferings, it is Thankan who is a helpless victim of circumstances, the outcome of which he has no role to play. When Mathew and Thankan’s illicit affair is out in the open, it is the kind-hearted Thankan who faces the brunt of the forced coming out, since he is not economically well off like Mathew or enjoys the backing that his ‘lover’ does. Sudhi’s portrayal of Thankan is so controlled and intense that you find yourself worrying for him.

An awkward Thankan pines for Mathew, yet has nothing to ask for him. There is such purity in his affection for Mathew that Thankan is ready to continue to suffer in silence, despite being warned that when things go sideways, it will be his head that people will be after. Even Omana’s brother Tomy says that the first thing he wanted to do after the scandal came to light was to thrash Thankan and drive him out of town.

Although Mathew suffered as a closeted gay man, he still had the backing of a family, regardless of how distant they were from him. He also had the support of an extended family through his in-laws, his political party, and the church, which, despite the scandal, stood firmly by him. So much so that he even goes to win the elections. But what’s in it for Thankan? Who does he have? Despite his poor economic situation, Thankan supports his nephew, a troubled soul who also has to bear the brunt of his uncle’s unrequited love.

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In Thankan, Joe Baby shows us the face of most of India. A man quitened by his circumstances and one who is taken along for whichever ride is forced upon him. He is not a man of his destiny, but one who is constantly forced to live a life thrust upon him by others.

Somehow, as a married woman who is nearly 40, it is Thankan who stays with me most after watching Kaathal - The Core and not Omana or Mathew. Sudhi Kozhikode has found a fan in me and I look forward to watching more of his movies.