Official Trailer:
Similar to Koozhangal, director Dinjith Ayyathan puts us in the middle of action. A couple is in registrar office to get their marriage registered. There is no introduction about the couples or the guy who stands outside the registrar office. Then the husband Ajay, played by Asif Ali, gets a call. It is election time and licensed holders have to surrender their guns. His father Appupillai, played by Vijayaraghavan, a retired army person, hasn’t surrendered his gun yet. We get the details as the story unfolds. The wife Aparna, played by Aparna Balamurali, we realize is Ajay’s second wife. His first wife has died of cancer and son from first marriage is missing for few years. Appupillai suffers from forgetfulness, and he hides his cognitive impairment from those close to him and the people in the village. Aparna is intrigued by her father-in-law’s odd behavior and actions. She also feels uncomfortable by his cold behavior towards her. Appupillai’s gun goes missing and police are investigating the case. Akira Kurosawa has done Stray Dog with missing gun premise and in Tamil we have 8 thottakkal directed by Sri Ganesh, with an excellent performance by M.S.Bhaskar. Trivia: Aparna Balamurali was there in 8 thottakkal too!! If the missing gun is used to kill someone who is at fault? The shooter or the owner who lost the gun? In Kishkindha, it is not just the gun that goes missing, there is a missing son, missing monkey, and yes, missing memories. It is not just Aparna who is trying to get to unravel the mystery, monkeys are too.
Kishkindha Kaandam (KK) is a slow burner. Wonderful writing and excellent performances from Asif, Aparna, and Vijayaraghavan keeps us engaged till the final act. I need to call out Asif Ali’s performance, he has the toughest job, he has to portray two faces – one what we and Aparna sees and another which he hides that gets revealed as Aparna unravels the mystery. Hats off to him, he pulls it off beautifully. KK respects the intelligence of the audience, by the end not all answers are given. It demands attention from the audience. We need to revisit and put together the pieces. Why Appupillai keeps burning documents at the same place? What he remembers and what he doesn’t? What does he discuss with former Naxalite friend? Who shot the monkey? Cinematography and background score line up with director’s vision and doesn’t overpower the narration.
When we get to the final mystery, Aparna also gets into the circle of family members who bear the burden of the family secret. They all need to carry it to their grave. Isn’t the case with every family secret?