Kishkindha Kaandam (Malayalam)

On Hotstar: https://www.hotstar.com/in/movies/kishkindha-kaandam/1271336670 . I saw it in Malayalam with English subtitles.

This is a 2 hour movie. For the first 1 hour, it is slow. It is so slow that you may be fed up and feel like giving up.

But then it suddenly grabs you. And refuses to let go. What seemed mundane is now interesting. What was ordinary takes on a new meaning, and you are hooked.

Where this movie starts and where it ends up are poles apart. The journey that it takes the viewer on is just superb, because of the screenplay. It's amazingly well written.

It starts off with the discovery that a gun belonging to a grumpy ex Army officer Appu Pillai (Vijayaraghavan) is missing. This discovery coincides with the second marriage of his son, Ajay Chandran (Asif Ali), to Aparna (Aparna Balamurali).

From a missing gun we go to a missing person - in this case it is Ajay's son from his previous wife, Chachu. 3 years ago, Chachu had gone missing at the same time that his mother suffered a serious medical emergency. At that time, only the grandfather Appu Pillai was at home.

The entire household is centered around adjusting to the old man and his weird habits. He trusts no one, and flies into a rage whenever someone enters his room.

We slowly discover the reason for his grumpiness. Appu Pillai suffers from major memory loss. He can't remember things at all - short or long term. He has devised ways to fight it. But it is a losing battle. He tries desperately to find his lost grandson.

Amidst all this, a small body is found buried on the grounds - it has been put in the ground 3 years ago. Whose body is it?

Aparna, the new daughter-in-law, not only adjusts to all this, but tries to be a part of the household. She finds Appu burning documents from time to time. What is in those documents?

She (and the viewer) can't make up their mind - is Appu Pillai really that forgetful or is he pretending? And is he guilty or innocent? And if guilty, of what exactly?

The side characters like Sumadathan (Jagadish) and Sivadasan (Ashokan) do a good job as well.

Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali are good at their roles.

But the star of the movie is the father / grandfather Vijayaraghavan. One of the best performances that I have seen in some time. His character grows on you as the movie progresses.

The main question we are asked is this: Is it sometimes better to forget certain things than remember them? 

If you create your own reality, is that a better deal than actual reality?

The cinematography is the icing on the cake. You feel as if you are there, in the small village, far away from it all. All sights and sounds have been captured well. 

The screenplay is masterful. By the time the movie ends, you forget that you got fed up for half of the running time :-).

I will heartily recommend this. Family friendly as well.