Kammara Sambhavam – History and fiction deliver brilliance

Since the last few weeks, fans of Malayalam cinema were eagerly waiting for the auspicious festival of Vishu. This wasn’t just to celebrate the festival but to celebrate the welcome on a brand new Malayalam film – Kammara Sambhavam. What makes it even special is that this is Dileep’s first release of the year, and fans were pretty excited.

Directed by ad filmmaker Rathish Ambat and scripted by writer and actor Murali Gopy, the story of the film revolves around Kammaran Nambiar (Dileep), who is the senior most member of the Indian Liberation Party (ILP). The story begins when a group of Liquor barons decide on a way to lift the ban on alcohol in Kerala. One of them suggests reviving the fading political party ILP to help achieve their plan. In the meantime, they also decide to rope in a Tamil filmmaker to make a film on Kammaran, who they believe to be a nobleman. However, when Kammaran begins narrating his life story, we begin to know that Kammaran wasn’t just any regular person, he was a powerful man who orchestrated several noteworthy events during the Second World War. During his interesting narration, Kammaran pauses and the rest of the film makes us ponder over what happened next.

‘A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes’ the film begins with these great lines that give us a hint the film will be a mix of history and politics. However, it was a lot more than that. The film tries to make the right link by blending history and recounting it in a cinematic manner and delivers it in a satirical tale. The strength of the film lies in the fact that the story is able to link the social commentary, satire through timelines and yet narrow it down to the climax effortlessly.

Appearing in over three roles in the film and delivering top-notch performances in each timeline, Dileep is sensational as Kammaran. One needs to watch out for his performance as the young Kammaran, as he brings each scene alive. It is needless to say that he shines even in the action sequences. He drives the story in the film half of the film. Siddharth, who makes his debut in Malayalam cinema is superb, however, his Malayalam accent didn’t seem very authentic. But kudos to him for dubbing for himself.

Another strong element of this film is the technical department. If you thought the visuals were stunning in the trailer, then wait until you see the film. Cinematographer Sunil KS’s holds the credit for delivering beautiful sequences. One also has to appreciate the art department for bringing the yesteryear era to life. Gopi Sunder’s tunes were perfectly in sync with the story. Director Rathish Ambat also done a fine job of subtly transcending to different timelines, and yet retaining the essence of the story.

Overall, this film is worth your time.