I Am Kathalan movie review: Premalu duo’s hacker drama clicks in parts, but lacks the Girish AD magic

3/5

I Am Kathalan story: Unable to get placed due to his backlogs and less-than-impressive projects, Vishnu is at a crossroads in his love life after his girlfriend decides to move on, as she can't imagine a life with someone who has nothing going for him. After an encounter with her dad leaves him humiliated, Vishnu vows to take revenge on the former’s chit-fund company, using his cyber skills. Things turn complicated when an ethical hacker enters the fray.

I Am Kathalan review: Even though director Girish AD’s I Am Kathalan follows Premalu, which was released earlier this year and became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films and has its hero Naslen K Gafoor in the lead, the film lacked the promotions that is usually associated with a superhit duo teaming up. It could be deliberate, considering that the genre of the latest movie is not something Girish, who had also helmed Thaneer Mathan Dinangal and Super Sharanya – both coming-of-age romcoms, had previously handled. But does it still have the filmmaker’s touch that makes his movies relatable to a large audience? The answer is not that straightforward.

For those going into theatres, expecting the same as Girish’s previous three movies might come disappointed. Even though the subject – of a spurned lover who seeks revenge on a chit fund using his hacking skills – is presented in a simple but engrossing fashion, it doesn’t have the punch that made the director’s previous movies memorable. More than Girish’s directorial ventures, I Am Kathalan almost falls into the group of films that the filmmaker and his friend circle have made such as Poovan and Visudha Mejo, but benefits greatly from him being at the helm.

Also read: Naslen opens up about I Am Kathalan; confirms the Girish AD directorial is not a love story 

Scripted by Sajin Cherukayil, known for his roles in Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam and Padmini, the movie revolves around an engineering student, Vishnu (Naslen), who uses his cyber skills to help his friends monitor Instagram chats and hack sites. But after his girlfriend, Shilpa (Anishma Anilkumar) breaks up with him and he is humiliated by her father Chacko (Dileesh Pothan), he decides to get back at the latter, by hacking into the server of his chit fund company. Things get complicated when Chacko enlists the service of an ethical hacker, and Shilpa suspects Vishnu for everything that’s going wrong in her dad’s company.

Credit is due to the writer and the director for choosing a simple setting, much like how a cooperative bank was targeted for a heist in Rajisha’s Kolla, and executing that without many hiccups – especially with security being the lowest. The makers also don’t overcomplicate it, but keep it organic enough, to let the audience feel that a youngster from a lower-middle-class background is more than capable of bringing an entire company, which has the services of IT consultants and the aid of an ethical hacker and cyber cell, down in this digital era, just by following steps available on the Internet – hiding behind a secure VPN connection.

That said, nowhere do you feel empathy for Vishnu. The makers also make it clear that what he is doing is wrong, through conversations of his friends who still help him. So, there’s no rush to see him come up trumps, even when the hero outwits those after him. The final change of heart also fails to strike a chord because of this constant see-sawing in the script, which is not sure of how to place its protagonist.

Naslen, who has now done a lot of these roles of an underdog or a spurned lover, fits the bill perfectly. Vishnu Vishwam and Vineeth Vasudevan also get parts to showcase their talent. Dileesh Pothan, Anishma Anilkumar, and Lijomol play characters that are important to the plot. Sidhartha Pradeep’s music never feels invasive and keeps the film, which is crisply edited by Sharan Velayudhan to less than 2 hours, pacy.

I Am Kathalan verdict: Naslen’s hacker-drama has some clever moments and benefits greatly from having Girish AD, who knows how to make movies that are relatable to the youth, at the helm. But for I Am Kathalan to truly click, it needed more heart, and that should have come from defining its characters and moments better through its writing.