Kondal movie review: Antony Varghese reinforces his status as a bonafide action hero in this middling revenge thriller

3/5

Kondal story: After Manuel gets in trouble in his coastal village of Anchuthengu, he decides to take work in a fishing vessel, which heads to sea with a crew of about 15 men. Things start heating up on the boat after one of them dies, splitting the crew in half, wanting to stay on course, and another group, led by Manuel, wanting to get to the shores. But there's also another reason for Manuel’s presence among the crew, one that makes some of them uncomfortable with the secrets they have tried to bury.

Kondal review: It's surprising that even though there have been several Malayalam films set in coastal regions and showcasing the lives of the fisherfolk, only a handful of these had sequences about what happens when they are at sea. That seems to be changing, with Adithattu in 2022 and now with Kondal, which is extensively set on a fishing vessel and portrays the challenges of boat-life in the perilous sea. It’s tough to shoot an entire film on a boat, even tougher when it’s an action film with a handful of characters. And that’s what director Ajit Mampally and his crew have set out to accomplish with Antony Varghese’s latest movie.

First up, Antony has now become an automatic pick while making a ‘naadan’ action film in Malayalam. In Kondal, he cements his reputation as an action star, thanks to its ‘mass’ sequences and aggression that hit the mark more often than it misses. And it’s Antony who steers this revenge thriller about a man, who seems to be running from his hometown only for the audience to soon realise that he’s on the shipping vessel to unearth some dark secrets and exact revenge.

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The writers of the film have done a great job at showing the life of the people in the boat - from the use of fishing hooks, harpoons and spades to the grueling daily grind. And it’s also these things that serve as weapons in the movie, which has action scenes every 20 minutes - on the boat as well as in the water. These sequences, especially in the first half, have a very realistic feel to it and that keeps the movie grounded. But in the second half, maybe limited by the same set of characters and setting, the makers decide to throw caution to the wind. In the process, you also get an out-of-place sequence with a shark, and some poor CGI.

Some of Antony’s previous action films like Swanthantryam Ardharathriyil and RDX had emotional hooks that are sadly missing in Kondal. It’s not even a no-holds-barred action film like Ajagajantharam. In Kondal, the writers do try to piece together a story about Manuel and the reason he’s on the boat, but it doesn’t quite get the audience to care, even when it uses an actor like Raj B Shetty. This is also where the film falters. 

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Even though the action sequences that are choreographed by Vikram Mor, Kalai Kingston and Thavasi Raj stand out for their unique settings, going multiple rounds with the same people doesn't quite make sense, especially when the reasons for these are revealed.

That said, the cast of the movie which also has Pramod Velliyanad, Sirajudheen, Sarath Saba, Manikandan, Shabeer Kallarackal and Nandu among others, adds to some amount of unpredictability, as to whose side they are. The female cast of Kondal is made almost irrelevant due to the writing, and even Raj B Shetty, who lights up the screen in the limited scenes he is part of in the movie, is criminally underutilised. Deepak D Menon’s cinematography also deserves special mention as he rightly balances the shaky frames with the stable ones on the boat as well as when the characters are off it. 

Sam CS’ music, however, sometimes drowns out the dialogues in the movie, which serves more as an action-hero vehicle for Antony Varghese rather than a convincing revenge thriller.

Kondal verdict: Antony Varghese’s ‘mass’ avatar steers this action revenge thriller, which benefits from the action choreography. While the punches land hard in the film, it lacks the emotional heft to connect with the audience.