Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham review: Basil Joseph shines in this poignant tale of human struggles during lockdown

3.5/5

Story: Basheeruddin aka Bachu tries all his life to stay in Kerala and become successful, against the wishes of his family to go to the Gulf for a better life. His entrepreneurial ventures are the means to this. But it all comes to a crushing halt during the pandemic, when even his best laid plans hit a roadblock. The lockdown brings in further hurdles in Bachu’s life, when he has to confront a tragedy and rise up in a span of days as the entire State is shackled by COVID-19 and protocols.

Review: Now that the worst of the pandemic is well behind us, it has become easier to forget what a vast majority of the people in the country had to endure – not just in terms of fighting the virus but also remaining safe and adjusting to the COVID-19 restrictions. Debutant filmmaker Muhashin’s Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham serves as a timely reminder of how sometimes, amid the intent of enforcing protocols and working for the ‘greater good’, human emotions weren’t given enough room and why the lockdown became a struggle.

The movie, scripted by Unda and Puzhu writer Harshad, follows the life of youngster Basheeruddin aka Bachu, who is out to start a successful entrepreneurial venture. Bachu is driven to prove that he doesn’t have to go to the Middle East like his father and that he can be a success story in his hometown. But the pandemic and ensuing lockdown lays waste to his plans and as problems pile up, he might have to finally bite the bullet and leave to Qatar for a better life. As he puts aside his ego, tragedy strikes and Bachu, in a span of days, has come to terms with what has happened and also prove he can accomplish what he has set his mind on, but this time for the sake of his family and while battling a seemingly improbable situation.

Also read: Prayed Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham didn’t get a star as we wanted audience to focus solely on the story: Muhashin 

Muhashin’s debut directorial succeeds most in showing the helplessness of people – be it while confronted by grief and regret or when a set of instructions for the greater good doesn’t leave room for an individual’s wish. Harshad plots this well through Bachu, who has his eyes set on bigger goals and his ego to chase them down gets bloated at the cost of him being blinded to the troubles of those near and dear to him. For instance, rather than returning the pawned jewellery of his friend’s wife, he pays back the money of a loan shark, with the intention of getting him to invest more into his business. It’s only until he faces an unexpected incident in his life, his ego is humbled and he has to fulfil what has always been expected out of him.

Basil Joseph puts on his best performance yet in Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham, showing the various emotions that Bachu goes through. There’s a maturity in performance from the start, where he comes across as this arrogant youth who doesn’t have time for nonsense - be it from people around him or his family - and that makes his transformation where he has to depend on others, even more heart-warming.

The film is replete with poignant moments, where a son has to tell his mother about not being able to fulfil her wish or where the mother and his sister unleash truths at his most vulnerable moments. Muhashin, however, doesn’t spoon feed in any of these scenes and Harshad’s writing is so layered. Even when the second half becomes about trying to rebel against the COVID protocols of the government, it’s not a criticism of the authorities but is told through the characters, their emotions and pleas that fall to deaf ears. This is both moving and deafening as a storytelling device.

Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham is probably one of the few films that has used the lockdown – from masks, route maps and containment zones to the expatriates’ struggles of flying back home through the packed Vande Bharat flights – to the fullest. It’s not one of those lockdown dramas that evolves within a house; this drama takes an incident that happens in a coastal village in Kozhikode to tell a story that will resonate with many in Kerala and beyond.

The drama is also evenly paced, with weight given to the emotional journey of its characters – be it Bachu’s parents or his sister Bushara (Fara Shibla), who decides to stay home with her mother rather than be with her husband who doubted her and is unwilling to apologise. The movie also talks about how people came together to help each other through those tough times, and that’s what makes for the ‘feel-good’ elements of the movie.

Indrans, Sudheesh, Jaffer Idukki, Binu Pappu and Swati Das Prabhu also play their parts well, making the audience connect well to the story and the characters. Govind Vasantha’s music further strengthens the storytelling of this well-made drama.

Verdict: Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham is a poignant reminder of the struggles of people during the pandemic. Basil Joseph’s brilliant performance and the layered storytelling is sure to keep the audience engaged once the film finds its footing.