I Am Kathalan Review - An Interesting Technology Based Thriller

Ashwin Ram

I Am Kathalan stars Naslen K Gafoor in the lead role. Directed by Girish AD of Premalu fame. Been in the production for nearly two years, it has finally gotten to theatres now.

Premise:

Naslen and Anishma have been in love since their college days. When the girl decides to break up with him, her father who runs a finance company steps in and humiliates the boy. For which Naslen seeks revenge and begins his hacking game.

Writing/ Direction:

A very thin storyline and a familiar one too, the execution makes all the difference here. Actually, more than how it is executed, the idea of using hacking as a tool for revenge stands out. Truckload of research has gone through to implement the hacking techniques showcased, the amount of detailing proves so. Multiple factors pile up to make the hacking scenes interesting - the purpose is convincing, the in-depth process is shown step by step and the complicated stuff is explained in a simplified manner by placing an amateur character nearby. Also, the crisp runtime and variety in the concepts don’t make the situations repetitive. There are enough appealing visual elements and humorous moments to keep it commercially viable. The first act is quite underwhelming as the romance portion is dull, being the core and coming from the director of Premalu, it was indeed a bit of a letdown. Another issue is the convenient writing (by Sajin Cherukayil) at places that are used to move the story forward, basic targets have been chosen in the name of coincidences. Production value is a shortcoming too, the film has that slight oldish look to it. Thanks to the relevant script and good direction for not making it a huge worry.

Performances:

Neat performance by Naslen, feels like an underplay from the outside and a very calculated smart play on the inside. Solid role and apt casting with Dileesh Pothan. Lijomol Jose in an extended cameo towards the end puts up an impressive show. Many new faces for the important character roles and they have all done their job well.

Technicalities:

Just a couple montage songs, decent tracks by music director Sidhartha Pradeep that seemed justifying with the situations. Superb background score, the peculiarities in the techno music for different hacking sequences keep increasing the momentum. Tidy work by cameraman Sharan Velayudhan, the visuals look simplistic as intended by the filmmaker as the story is grounded. Fine editing by Akash Joseph Varghese, less than two hours duration is a very big advantage, and the scenes have been presented to the point without wasting much time. Special effects (Vfx by Promice) are used in a very admirable way as part of the narrative.

Bottomline

There are minor flaws that don’t really impact the output result. The hacking portions are the highlight, presented well in an enjoyable manner with a fitting final act. Neat direction, solid music and the smartly written moments work in the film’s favour.

Rating - 3/ 5