Writer-director Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval’s organic humor works wonders despite an uneven third act
Writer-director Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval’s organic humor works wonders despite an uneven third act
Writing pages and pages of dialogue and picking out a joke from every second or third line is hardly an easy task. Among the things Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval has achieved in his third outing Nana, Than Case CodeThe laughter that emanates from his lines must be the most satisfying to him. The humor that is created in these dialogues is quite organic, developed out of a situation, somewhat serious.
Nana Than Case Code
the director: Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduvali
Throw: Kunchako Boban, Gayatri, PP Kunhikrishnan
Story: The improved thief has started a legal battle over the pit on the road in front of the MLA’s house.
Rajeevan (Kunchako Boban), a reformed thief,’s honor and many other things are at stake when he starts a legal battle over a pothole in the street in front of an MLA’s house, leading to – according to him – a series of events. which not only caused him bodily injury, but also called him a thief again. He has to prove his innocence to his live-in partner Devi (Gayatri) and the society around him. It is not an easy fight for them, as they want to hold the state’s Public Works Minister responsible for the pothole. This is clearly a personal fight with more than an element of public interest.
Director and screenwriter Ratish, who debuted with Delightful Android Kunjappan and followed it up with a non-dominant Kanakam Kamini Kalaham, he seems to have put in a lot of work on carving out his content and creating a free-flowing narrative, and a timeline sensibly marked with changes in petrol prices. Even the casting and other aspects of the film are designed to entertain the audience. For example, an actor like Rajesh Madhavan is cast in a role that is meant to make us laugh.
Many new actors make their mark, be it a young police officer learning the ropes, another cop who is a theyyam Artist, or a PWD Engineer who wants to do the right thing at the end of his career. But none other than PP Kunhikrishnan, who puts on an arresting performance as the upright magistrate whose focus is between the case and the pigeons on the court windows. All these characters blend seamlessly with the local environment of Kasaragod, where the film is set.
Kunchacko Boban has been upping his game for quite some time, renewing his image in the process. Here, he propelled himself with a performance that would be one of his best. After all, it’s not easy for a skilled dancer to act like someone who struggles to find his footing, and yet is as impressive as Boban in the song ‘Devduthar Paadi’.
Structured as a common man’s unlikely-to-win battle, the film surprises him all along in the courtroom, but the story stops moving forward after a point. The fact that the story still remains interesting has a lot to do with the script. It loses its easy momentum only towards the end, by the time it has already won over the spectators. Nana, Than Case Code is a bittersweet satire that proceeds on the strength of a humorous script and a set of earnest performances.
Nana, Than Kes Kodu is currently running in theaters