Kaana Kanmani Malayalam Movie
The moment Maya (Padmapriya) walks into an old, dusty house that had been left abandoned for a long time, she pauses and murmurs that she senses something real negative all around her. Precisely the off-putting vibes that the film 'Kanakanmani' sends around within ten minutes of its start, before the vibes turn into tremors, convulsions and finally into a huge quake.
Roy (Jayaram), Maya and their nine year old daughter Anakha (Nivedita) lead a heavenly life, until they decide to spend a few days at an old home in a hill station, where the couple had lived once, several years back. Their whole world is turned upside down when the young girl becomes possessed, and the vagrant spirit Shivani vows to wreak vengeance for a sin that they had long forgotten about.
The verbal outburst against abortion, as much as its sincerity remains unquestioned, sounds like an extended ad for an emergency contraceptive pill. I am not sure about the kind of effect that it would have on scores of women who have had to do the unfortunate act on account of reasons other than personal happiness. What I am glad about is that a majority of them would probably not actually get to see Kanakanmani.
Death is the penance for sin, Roy avows. There could be an endless discussion as to what he actually means. However, to suggest that a couple who had decided not to bring in a new life on account of motives that no third person would ever have a clue about, deserves a punishment as drastic as death isn't really fair. At the cost of joining those pro-choice campaigners, I would like to believe that of the eleven million abortions performed every year in the country, not all parents could be categorized as murderers on the lookout for nothing but individual contentment.
As is expected Shivani finally leaves the family at peace. But not before she makes her parents promise that they would hold her close to them in nights when thunder would rumble in the skies. The final scene when Maya puts her hands in the air, hugging an imaginary spirit close, as it gets all set to rain, is disturbing to say the least. I wouldn't be caught dead in their shoes, if they had to look forward to a life where a spirit would be hovering around, vying for their attention. And nine times out of ten, you wouldn't even know where to hug.
When it comes to the horror elements, it's sad that the film doesn't turn out to be as haunting as it could possibly have been. It's often frustrating when the ploys to make you jump out of your seats go bursting like balloons falling on a bed of pins. No real scare here, for all you horror enthusiasts out there.
'Gauri - The Unborn' (2007), Akku Akbar's maiden Hindi film, had in fact left much to be desired. An interesting theme that finally ended up being a moral tirade against abortion did not leave much of an impact on its viewers. When Akku (despite the lukewarm response that it received) did something brave as to remake the film in Malayalam, the cracks and splits in the script were expected to be filled in. Nothing of the sort happens, and Kanakanmani remains as unappealing as its original.
The women lead the film on, when it comes to performances. Nivedita is one of the best child actors that we have had, and she is adept when it comes to lending her character a few flourishes here and there that would make it real special. Padmapriya is amazingly good as well, and this would be one of her best acts till date. Jayaram somehow reminded me of 'Malootty' (1992), for reasons that are more than obvious.
Akku's film is about making the right choices in life. What it turns away is from the rationale behind the choices that it deems as wrong.
