Kammattipadam mourns the loss of innocence at the hands of the greedy, indifferent, and the deceitful. It is violent, like Ravi's other two movies. And it is unflinching. The film has noble intentions. It brings faces on screen that conventional Mollywood would never approve of. It takes their side and sings their songs.

Rajeev Ravi had earlier gave us films like Annayum Rasoolum and Njan Steve Lopez, which were realistic to the core and told love stories. Both those films got great appreciation from critics for its realistic portrayal of life, but failed to register its mark in Box office. So, this time he had tried to do a film which has some mass appeal as well. We can say that he become fully successful in that. But at the same time he kept the class which sets his film apart from usual entertainers. He narrated the film in a very different way and will be a treat for his followers.

Screenplay by P Balachandran also maintained a perfect pace and intensity throughout. The characterization and development of plot is the highlight of the film and Rajeev Ravi's craft is very much evident there.

Dulquer Salmaan gave a great performance as Krishnan and he is really improving as a actor. He really done a great job while portraying the different phases of Krishnan's life. He sported 3 different looks in this film and gave life to each phases with ease. Another great performance came from Vinayakan who was terrific as Gangan, the intimate friend of Krishnan. His change over for this character was too good. Manikantan, a theatre artiste, is perfect as Balan, Ganga's brother. Actors like Vinay Fort, P Balachandran, Suraj Venjarammoodu, Sine Tom Chacko, Alencier, Amalda Liz as Rosamma, Shaun Romy as Anitha, Muthumani, Anjali Aneesh Upasana, Manikandan, Soubin Shaheer, Alencier le, etc also done their part to perfection. Also there are numerous characters in the background who appear for less than a few minutes, yet create an indelible impression.

DOP by Madhu Neelakandan was one the highlights of this movie as his frames really set the atmosphere which the flick needed to tell the story convincingly. Music by John P Varkey and Vinayakan was very good as well and the background scoring was superb to say the least.

On the whole, Kammatipaadam is a realistic entertainer and those who loves these kind of films will be in for a treat.

Kammattipadam, a film that puts even the most acclaimed directors at the risk of being ashamed of their own work. Rajeev Ravi is not only a director that excels at what he does best but also raises the bar for upcoming directors to match up with. And i here expected nothing less.

A film that was shunned by the censor board and labelled an 'A' rated film that subsequently etches into the mind of every Malayali that Kammattipadam is nothing short of a porno, it is backlash to all the haters. The film contains mild violence and yet succeeds in its own way to capture us into the thriving wetlands of Kammattipadam, in a long 4 hour thriller. The film is a bit long and can be a hefty work to sit and watch a drama that unfolds slowly and steadily to end in a simple, non dramatic way. The film's score was undoubted brilliant, essaying with the tone and atmosphere of the film so perfectly that we are not aware that the only characters we are submitted upon are Ganga and Krishna.

Of all the characters that was portrayed, Ganga's was THE best. Vinayakan has done a role so perfectly and exquisitely that we are left wondering whether he was born for this role. Dulquer has also given a terrific job at portraying the troubled young teen and slowly transforming into the role of the wise. An actor who came into the industry as the son of a established actor, Dulquer has made a stride in proving yet again that he has build his own empire right next to his father, possibly bigger.

Although Kammattipadam revolves around these handful of characters, it is not the tale that the director wants to tell us. It is the supreme tale of friendship, love, lust, greed and how time can transform everything into dust. Just like the rise and fall of many great empires, Rajeev Ravi has done a exemplar work in manifesting that theme into the thickness of the Urban wreck ; Ernakulam.

Kammattipadam might be a one-time watch, since the characters that we see cannot go through the same loop again, which would spoil the flow of the time-line that the city has grown into. But then again, Kammattipadam, as a film can be enjoyed thoroughly and for extremes, is a must watch film.

Overall a tale that need to be preserved for future so that they can know that we still made films that are not confined to our artistic abilities.

A Exemplar 9.5/ 10.

It deserves more, but the perfect score is for another kind , with another brilliant story.

Rajeev Ravi's third Malayalam venture is a not a so called clichéd gangster flick. Instead of being an action filled masala crap,kammatti paadam focuses in developing the characters. The characters feel so realistic. The script shows a huge potential in balancing the characters and their emotions. We actually care about them. The performance of the actors are excellent. Dulquer proves he's a class actor again by Continuing his dashing performance. But the real heroes are Vinayakan and Manikandan. Vinayakan gives his career best,while stage artist Manikandan pleases us with his extraordinary acting skill. In all, its a beautiful cinematic experience. But it is not everyone's cup of tea. If you know who Rajeev Ravi is and appreciate a well written, masterfully directed movie with amazing actors, go and see it. You will enjoy it for surely.

Some films just entertain. Some films move you and then there are films which entertain you, move you and makes you think and ponder over it. Kammatipaadam is one such film.

Brilliant Script, Excellent narrative style, Beautiful shots, Great Background Score, Superb Acting. Iam sure many will complain about its length but I don't see any other way the director could have done justice to this film.

Iam amazed at the craft and inspired by it. Iam an aspiring filmmaker myself and I truly thank everybody associated with this film for having made this film.

Rajeev Ravi's third feature film tells the story of a bunch of boys from an area in Ernakulam called Kammatti Paadam. They grew up to be what is colloquially called as members of a 'Quotation Team', a euphemism for the low rung enforcers of local mafia. The story follows them from their childhood to teenage years and then to mid- twenties and finally to when they are in their 40s.

The title, Kammatti Paadam, refers to an area of Ernakulam which lies to the back of KSRTC Bus Stand. It is basically a tale of the growth of the city told from the perspective of its main protagonists, characters played by Dulquer and Vinayakan. Film begins in the present with Dulquer struggling to stay alive in a bus to Ernakulam with a stab wound. The backstory is told using a well- known concept of 'Life flashes before your eyes just about when you are about to die' and the recent Malayalam film, James & Alice, is another one which employed the same. The basic concept of the film can be summed up as a representation of 'Gentrification' of Ernakulam city told through a bunch of characters who get gentrified in their life due to it. They were part of it both as people who helped in displacing the original people to make way for high-rise buildings and also as victims who got nowhere in their lives even as they were just used up by their paymasters.

A title of 'Once upon a time in Kammatti Paadam' would have been quite fitting for this film as it shares a lot with Sergio Leone's 'Once upon a time in America' in both its characterization and the way the story is told. It is also another film which begins its back-story through its main protagonist's memories as he lies in his deathbed. Only difference is that in Rajeev Ravi's film, the characters remain slumdogs. Another film that one would be reminded of is the Brazilian one- 'City of God' in terms of its rawness and the characters played by both Vinayakan and Manikandan, who revels in his role as the eldest gangster among them, would remind you of couple of characters from it.

It is overall a great watch even though the strength of the central relationship between Krishnan (Dulquer Salman) and Ganga (Vinayakan) is not quite convincing. I also had issue with some of the lazy narration in it, especially during scenes where some of the characters in the present tell Krishnan about when they had last seen Ganga. These are some things you would never expect from a Rajeev Ravi film who is quite known for his aversion to traditional narrative techniques. I also felt the light-weightiness of Dulquer's acting in many occasions. Rajeev Ravi is known for his tremendous casting of supporting characters and this one is no different with plenty of excellent new actors in it. One doesn't need to wax lyrical about cinematography in his films as it is quite understood how it is gonna be. Both his previous films, Annayum Rasoolum and Njan Steve Lopez, had quotation teams as characters and their influence in the films grew as he moved from former to latter. In his third film, they occupy almost the entire story. It is the least Rajeev Ravisque film out of the three and his weakest effort but it is still a great watch.

PS: It is quite ironic to see Dulquer Salman occupying almost all the space in its posters when it can be argued that Vinayakan is its central character. Maybe that is quite apt since the film is mainly about people who fall by the wayside.

Movie: Kammattipaadam (A)

Rating : 4/5

It's the second Malayalam film I am watched after URUMI. It's the first film of Dulquer Salmaan which I watched. I had heard Hindi film director Anurag Kashyap's praise for the film. And he said nothing wrong. KAMMATTIPAADAM is a raw, gritty, slow burning yet outstanding film that deserves a watch by all.

KAMMATTIPAADAM is an action thriller with realistic crime drama as the driving factor. The film is packed with intensely executed sequences which demand and deserve praise. It also needs to be made clear that KAMMATTIPAADAM is not for those who like masala movies or simply the regular style action thrillers. It's an action thriller, but it's also a riveting crime drama.

The thing that surprised and also made me happy were the prolonged sequences which had dialogues purely in Hindi. Dulquer speaks both the languages so well that you feel he knows every bit of Hindi. Maybe he knows, his accent of pronunciation tells.

Dulquer speaks through his character and the performance. Since I haven't seen any other of his films, I can't say whether it's his best work or not, but still I would love to praise him for a whole hearted performance. Vinayakan is very strong and excellent, he gives a terrific act. Other cast is also good.

The story and screenplay deserve praise. The feeling of something mysterious remains throughout the film. The technical aspects are top notch. The locations in Kerala are filmed excellently and are a treat to the eyes. The fights are excellent. Dialogues are noteworthy.

The film has its own flaws too. KAMMATTIPAADAM is a mysterious film, but in order to cover the mystery, the director stretches the film to 3 hours, which can be patience testing for certain viewers. The editing could have been much better. The film starts well, but as it goes on to unfold, several sequences slow down the film's pace. Also the A certificate due to a few gory action sequences limits the audience technically which usually doesn't go for such films. The runtime is the only negative factor that can't be ignored easily.

But still, KAMMATTIPAADAM is a big victory for the Malayalam and the Indian Cinema, and is definitely watchable if you like action thrillers which are quite dark and not like contemporary films. I watched it, liked it and reviewed it. In other words, it's a kind of film which I demanded, and received. This is really what Indian cinema deserves.

Another golden age of Malayalam movies is back after two decades of sloppiness. Rajeev Ravi is back in form after Annayum Rasoolum. Stars are made when actors get in to characters and the same holds true for Manikantan, Vinayakan and Dulqer. The female leads are great as well. Shine Tom and Soubin have short but impactful characters. A tad too long. But enjoy the journey to Kammattipadam. The characters transform through 3 periods in history. The visuals, music and story intertwine in to a great cinema experience. One of the best gangster movies in malayalam. But is also an indication of caste struggles and how Kochi was built by displacing poor landowners to make sky scrappers.

Civilizations in all parts of the world were always questioned on the bases of their modes of progress. During the earlier stages of human society man's primary concern was survival. From that initial stage of survival we have come so far and have reached stages where ancient men if by some chance are to witness, can only marvel at the progress their later generations have achieved. But there will also be a vain search from their part to see the crops that were borne out of mud which for them have been the life giving manna. Centered on it they dreamed dreams, shaped their lives, raised

Rajeev Ravi's new attempt is a commendable work that raises some important questions regarding human development standing from a physical, cultural and educational level. Here in the movie, the gang of Kammattippadam outlive society's all kinds segregation by forming a group comprising youth from all religious and cast divisions that purely depends on the base of friendship alone. Right from the very beginning we cannot help but notice director's clever use of caste codes. A vendor asks whether the girl's color is 'black' before selling a necklet, the upper class boy who takes revenge on his peers and Ganga's song akkaanum maamalayonnum… echoes caste matters so symbolically.

Balan and Ganga (Gangadharan), heads of Kammattippadam gang who belong to lower castes are represented in the movie as the first from their caste to overtly question societal segregation through open confrontation with the upper caste. Their machismo is boosted by the upper caste. This unfortunate but possibly the only way of living (resorting to violence) is proved detrimental toward the end of the movie. An old generation of theirs who depended purely on the soil cannot help but leave their physical space through sorry deaths without being able to give their later generation any option to live. Like Ganga sings 'pulayadi makkal njangal kalahichu marikkunnu…' the new generation fights and die for the upper caste who now live in skyscrapers built and bought with the blood money of people like Balan and Ganga. In fact the lower caste's initiation to violence is anointed and blessed by the upper caste like Mathayichan, Martin Sir and Surendran Asan who use them against their own people.

The multistory buildings stand in the place of crops the elders of Balan and Ganga cultivated there. Encroachments began with simple fencing ended in filling the physical and cultural space of the lower caste. Today instead of rice modern society minus the lower caste, cultivate towers of greed in the name of development and sophistication. When Balan and Ganga die for their oppressors their wives live off the left over from their way of living. Like Balan's wife (a converted Christian) they become prostitutes and later goonda leaders. Another generation (Rosamma's personal bodyguard) springs out of their tradition taking the goonda tradition forward. They assume machismo and take on the violent tradition.

Though the movie has shown how the working class is exploited by the bourgeoisies (if we use the traditional terms) it could not completely discuss the solutions to these problems. Nevertheless some clues to societal upliftment are surely brought out. When the burned corpse of Ganga is taken out we see a small girl carrying bag is going to school. Though the shot is not stressed much we can assume that the director might want to bring education as a ladder climbing which lower caste can overcome their difficulties and stop being a tool in the hands of upper castes. Krishnan from the upper caste formed an alliance with Ganga and Balan. To Ganga he was not just a friend but like a brother who went over color and physical features, the same matters for which Ganga's community had always been condemned. Krishnan is a representative from the upper class who unlike his wealthy corporate counterparts joins hands with the downtrodden, love them and even desires to be part of one of them (through loving and desiring to marry Anumol). Krishnan and Gangadharan, even their names have much to tell. According to Indian legends Krishnan is an incarnation of the Aryan God Vishnu and Gangadharan (Sivan) is a Dravidian God with immense power who is often called the creator and the destroyer.

Thus in a changed society there comes a liberator for the downtrodden from the part of their own oppressors. This is a hope this dexterously crafted movie proposes before its brilliant audience. Kammattippadam is a must watch of recent times that comes in the line of movies of literary value and entertainment merit.

Kammatipaadam is a new Malayalam movie premiered on May 20, 2016. Kammatipaadam is not a movie but brutal, hard and sheer realistic depiction of buried secrets behind the transformation of Ernakulam currently a concrete jungle from lush green serene in the past. Director Rajeev Pillai and script writer Balachandran had worked hard to pull off a movie of toughness with naturalness. The story unfolds through the eyes of Krishnan played brilliantly by Dulquer Salmaan who returns to Kochi in search of his friend Ganga played effectively by Vinayakan from his childhood days. Dulquer Salmaan needs to be lauded for the choice of roles whether it is Bangalore days or Charlie or Kali and now it is Kammatipaadam. Keep up the good work always Dulquer. Story goes back and front and depicts the friendship between Krishnan, Ganga and Balan, Ganga's elder brother and his gang. Newcomer Manikandan was perfect as balan. The movie depicts through events the transformation of each and every character into a fully developed outlaw. Kindly watch it out as what really happened to his friend Ganga. Strictly worthy movie for serious viewers irrespective of language.

Classic movie with Romance and Friendship forged with fight sequences and venegance. 4-4.5 hr movie was reduced to 3 hour movie. The real version to be released in to DVD. Im still not satisfied by watching it twice. Wanting to watch it more. Generic of its own. Script by Balachandran is Rock Solid. Thank you once again to Raheev Ravi for the classic & Balan chetan, Vinayakan and obviously DQ for the fantastic screen presence. Feels like im a member of Kammattippadam too. Music is 9/10 as it could have been used a bit more especially the track Para-Para. Overall movie is a allrounder and a lesson to other malayalam movie directors that "Hey bro, a movie can be shot this way too!!" Its a milestone for malayalam cinema. 90% REALISTIC TOO!!!! Thank you mammootty to presenting us with DULQUER SALMAAN. He was apt for the role because the salt and pepper is apt for prithvi but not nivin, same as with the teenage role vice versa. DQ masters both of them! Kammattipaadam is not a movie, its a feeling. Waiting to watch such movies in future...

This is a movie which is not for those who want to watch a completely entertaining thriller/action , but for those who want to see a documentary type/close to reality kind of drama.The treatment and style of the movie-making is similar to the movie 'Annayum Rasoolum' so those who enjoyed that movie will probably like this too.The biggest problem i found in the movie is that the first one hour or so of the movie is really entertaining and thrilling but the rest of the two hours does not match that and felt boring, the movie could have been cut short to a two hour movie so that it could become more enjoyable to the masses.

Performances of Vinayakan as 'ganga' and Manikandan as 'Balan' is really good,though a small role Soubin Shahir did really well as a negative character and his screen presence is amazing , Dulquer did an okay performance ,The heroine also did good. The bgm of the movie is also apt and soothing.The ending of the movie is not so great and felt mediocre, mostly because the movie dragged so much in the second half that the audience desperately want it end as early as possible.

This is a movie which is similar to Gangs of wasseypur and not everyone's cup of tea. There is nothing much to say about the story of the movie. If you are into appreciating the performances characters in a movie and would like some thrilling and comedic scenes and three hour+ runtime won't bother you then you gotta give this movie a try.

This movie talks about our society where children are pushed towards violence and how this affects not only them but their families too. Dulquer and Vinayakan's friendship and fun and friend turned enemy equations were good. The movie might not be liked by everyone as this might not be their cup of tea. Movie shows violence, struggle, and how people succumb to the situations that comes their way. The twist was good and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

Super Gangster movie Dulquer & vinayagan were sunning performance

This is my first movie review for a website. Being a movie buff, I have always wanted to watch out for good and critically acclaimed movies (masala and non-masala), irrespective of the language (as long as there are sub-titles). Usually, Malayalam movies are known for their realism. Kammatti Paadam is no exception. Added to it, it has rawness. As I watched the movie, it took me a while to get involved in it. But, once I got used to the characters, it was quite tough to move away from them. The exotic locales, the houses, the dresses -- all theese make you feel, as if the incidents are happening near you. Coincidentally, i visited Cochin last year during my holidays. It added to my love for this movie. Agreed, the story line can be found similar to many such gangster movies. But, Kammatti Paadam has definitely something for it. It may not be an interesting watch for many viewers, but for movie buffs like, it is a great watch. The casting is pitch perfect !!

Dear Rajiv Ravi,

what were you thinking? I mean ..... what were you thinking, man? You had a damn good story - the film is about the gangs that aided greedy builders in forcefully throwing out the poor off their land and creating the garbage dump that is now Ernakulam/Kochi. The dialogs were pretty good. The film was peppered with some clever one liners. The cast was quite respectable - Dulqer Salman gets better with each film even though his histrionic ability is nothing to write home about. Vinayakan and Manikandan were quite shock inducing as gangsters who are like forces of nature. What could go wrong? Well, you and the editor messed it all up, Rajiv.

There were too many scenes of gangsters walking around stylishly in slow motion and unrealistic fight scenes (albeit quite well choreographed) that could be out of Singham. You were too busy establishing the badassness and impulsiveness of these gangsters. The first half was just a series of these repetitive scenes where they go around threatening people, get into fights and get drunk. I mean we got it, man. The working classes are beautiful and romantic. These characters were impulsive and ultimately clueless thugs who were exploited by the upper class.

There were instances when you were not even interested in developing a scene. An example of this was when Dulqer and Vinayakan were hiding out after stabbing a rival. They are in a hut surrounded by a river. It is a beautiful locale and their life during the hiding out could have been interesting. But you quickly showed us some beautiful visuals like it was some tourist advertisement for the Kerala backwaters and it all got over in a few minutes.

Your sympathies are obviously with the working classes. Nothing wrong with that. I liked the touching scene when Dulqer and his father are drinking alcohol and his father laments about how long he had to wait in a queue to buy a bottle of alcohol. There were a few touching scenes like this when we are shown how the lives of these working class characters and their families are inevitably ruined. But there is no weight to these scenes because ..... well you were too busy making a stylish film. It is hard to feel the desolation of the characters when a large part of the film is wasted in stylish sequences set to loud music. The grunge metal background score was awful and did not suit the milieu at all. There was no single tune that I could identify with, it was just a mish mash of unremarkable tunes.

The tone and pace of Kammati Padam is markedly different from your first film - the subdued and melancholic Annayum Rasoolum. You were obviously trying to play to the gallery with Kammati Padam. I bet you were inspired by your mentor Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur. The characters from Kammati Padam could easily walk into that film. But frankly, I find that most of these films about working class Indian gangsters are just mediocre attempts to imitate City of God or Amores Perros.

Best Regards, Pimpin.

(5/10)

Kammatti Paadam. I like the fact that they wanted to show the past of Kerala and the various gangs back then who helped in building the concrete jungles of today's Kerala by chasing away the locals. All that history, culture and the fact that they bring new actors into the big screen is all fine.

What I didn't like was that they dragged the movie for two long. It's a surprise to me how this movie landed an 8.1 on IMDb. Messes up the credibility of the ratings in IMDb.

If the same movie had been shot in an hour and thirty minutes, the movie would've been just brilliant.

It takes effort to watch this movie and if you're not a Dulqar Salman fan, then, God only can save you.

Violence, drinking and everything your parents don't want you to be doing.Thats Kamattipadam because it is the life of a bunch of kids who grew up to become reckless thugs. I noticed that the actor who portrayed Dulquer Salmaan's youth did a great deal of homework to mimic Dq. Apart from all the violence there is a sideline romance between Anitha and Krishnan (Dulquer). The movie isn't sugarcoated in any manner. You don't look amazing in a slum and thats exactly what Ganga and Balan conveyed. In fact it was they who captured all the focus more than Dulquer.This isn't a movie about good guys and bad guys, it is about how the slum folks are used like pawns and thrown away for the gains of the rich class.It does not get preachy or anything which was a definite plus for me. Its life you can watch it like it or not you just have to accept it because it is a story inspired by real events, the folk songs also give an added feel to the movie. The story telling was a bit hard to catch on initially because it runs in three timelines. I didn't quite understand how the Anita Ganga thing work out. The movie doesn't end on a good note, well you cant expect a happy ending for gangsters. OVERALL THIS IS NOT A FAMILY MOVIE. DON'T SAY THE MOVIE WAS LOOSE AND FILLED WITH VIOLENCE AND ALCOHOL, WAKE UP ITS A GANGSTER MOVIE WHAT DID YOU EXPECT

Kammattipaadam (2016): I have known lot of cool entertaining romantic films from Malayalam but I never expected a brutal intense film like Kammatipaadam.It resembles Kashyap's work with intense scenes and music.Its a rare feat done in Indian cinema which are attempted only by Anurag Kashyap and RGV.So how is it??

Plot: Kammatipaadam is a rural area where Krishnan (Dulquer Salman) life begins.He befriends Ganga (Vinayakan) and his gangster brother Balan(Manikantan) in his childhood.He also has crush on Ganga's relative Anita (Shaun Romy). The movie opens with aged Krishnan who is working in a security firm,Mumbai getting a call from Ganga indicating that he is in trouble.Since that call, Ganga goes missing.So Krishnan sets out his journey to search his friend and reviving his old memories.

Plus Points:

1)Performances: Kammatipaadam has realistic performances which perfectly showcases the rural gangsters life.Dulquer Salmaan gave a great performance as Krishnan and he is really is proving himself as a talent of Malayalam Cinema with every film. He really done a great job while portraying the different phases of Krishnan's life.Its entirely different Dulquer I have seen till now. Vinayakan was terrific as Ganga, the intimate friend of Krishnan.Manikantan is perfect as Balan.

2)Plot: Kammatipaadam has a great idea of making a movie which depicts the raw and disturbing life of rural area gangsters and their youth followers.

3)Direction: Rajeev Ravi's direction is terrific.Though he got inspired from Taratntino,Ritchie and Kashyap's work,he did splendidly well.

3)Music: Music is perfect.There are literally no songs except those which come in background.BGM is awesome and has Tarantino's mark.John P Varkey gave exceptional music.

Minus Points:

1)Duration: Kammatipaadam has lengthy duration of 2hr 57 min long which is quite uncomfortable for regular viewers.

2)Slow Pace at some parts: Kammatipaadam moves on a slow pace ate few parts which may test viewer's patience.

So,Kammatipaadam is an unusual brutal crime drama from Malayalam with brilliant performances and direction but its lengthy duration is major drawback.

My rating 6.75/10

The first impression that the movie gives you is that director Rajeev Ravi, being Anurag Kashyap's close buddy and cinematographer, is trying to emulate the style of "Gangs of Wasseypur" or "City of God". "Gangs of Wasseypur" was at least entertaining throughout. This movie fails at that. The editing is absolutely poor, for one thing - the pace is too slow and there are too many unnecessary scenes, including fight scenes such as the one in prison. The direction is haphazard, the back-and- forth switching between flashbacks seems way too convoluted. Substance and coherence have been given up for the sake of style. Also, special mention to the make-up artists, who have done a horrible job in portraying the age progression, especially that of Ganga's family (Ganga seems older than his father later in one certain flashback). On a positive note, the actors haven't done a bad job at all. They are the sole saving grace. I started watching this movie with huge expectations, and they fell flat even before the movie was halfway through. As another reviewer said, this could have been a much more interesting watch if it was condensed to a nice 1 hour 30-45 minutes... the film dragged so much, that by the time the movie ended, I did not care for a single character. If you make such a long movie, at least make it worth the length. And all of this pretentious mess culminated into a plain-old revenge drama.No wonder it couldn't surpass Kali's box-office collections, despite being a much more hyped film.

There are lots of cavities in Mollywood when it comes to genres, and while filmmakers have tried and failed in the past to experiment with bold themes, Rajeev Ravi comes in and unleashes his take on blood-soaked grittiness based on murderous hooligans, their despicable actions, and their Ma-I'm-still-a-human-being life stories. Only it's a raw, hard-pinched story of few dustballs in the wind.

Krishnan (Salmaan) is a young man whose only bad luck was that he grew up in an obstreperous neighborhood where people take out long- leaved daggers and iron rods instead of spoons made of Mango tree leaves and brittle glass tumblers to have their daily supper and dose of spirit. While his childhood and growing-up days were not directly involved in the activities of his machete-wielding uncles whose livelihood depended on manufacturing and transporting bootlegged liquor and slaying anyone who comes in between, post-puberty, he, along with his close friend, Ganga (Vinayakan), naturally climbs up the ladder and partially inherits his uncles' profession, performing marvelously as his boss, Balan's (Achari) sidekick. In and around this time of transformation from a bicycle-riding and skirt-chasing boy to a full-fledged man who knows what to do after a skirt has been changed simultaneously satiating his own needs, and knows how to eternally prevent other men from satiating their own needs, Krishnan is incarcerated for butchering a policeman. Years later, he comes out a free man, replenishes his friendship with his gang and Ganga, and resumes doing what he did for Balan without realizing that the men - unscrupulous liquor barons - whom they work for consider them only as expendable pawns. Eventually, new players come in, territories are sought and wars are fought, backs are stabbed, Balan's gang disbands, and Krishnan moves on, hoping to settle down with the same girl, Anitha (Romy), whom he once skirt-chased knowing that she is supposed to marry Ganga through familial relations. More years later, Krishnan gets a call from Ganga who indirectly expresses that he may be in danger. If this slightly comprehensive plot is not enough, Krishnan goes back to what was once the infamous neighborhood, Kammatti Paadam, in search of his friend... best friend.

While friendship is supposed to be a strong element in this gritty action and crime-based tale, all that you will see is blood and mouths full of teeth that belch out raw languages and expletives. The makers may have wanted to make things sentimental with this element, but one fails to grasp any traces in the relationship between the characters which is most clearly visible when Krishnan tries to elope with Anitha without even mentioning it to his so-called best friend Ganga. Yeah, best friends do this all the time. The main actors, including and most importantly Achari, do an excellent job with acting and if Malabar Gold and Diamonds or Kitex Lungis sponsor next year's Oscars, I bet they will win.

However, for starters, the non-linear script by the lovable actor and not-so-lovable writer Balachandran is what spoils the broth. There is no conviction in Krishnan or the continuity of his life story as the screen gives us flashbacks and unprocessed insight into the lives of 'quotation boys' as they are generally called in Kerala and elsewhere. As a viewer, I had no sympathy for Balan or Ganga or even Krishnan, for their actions were much more murkier and heinous than their feelings of desolation and isolation were humane and melancholic. The only character one could sympathize with was Anitha who is broken between the man whom she loves and the man who wants to marry her just because. Supporting actors like Chacko and Balachandran himself are fine and provide their support, but the monotonous awakenings that the script provides proves insufficient to cater to an audience whose attention span is perennially diminishing.

It was great to see Soubin Shahir in the mercuric role of a butcher, but to cite my worries about the film, his duel with Achari's character is what is everything wrong with it. It tries hard to prove a point, but on the way leaves out realism and credibility, which is mandatory for a film apparently based on a true story.

BOTTOM LINE: Rajeev Ravi's Kammatti Paadam is a circle hand-drawn on a potholed road with sharp, bold lines inside which are characters and their actions and their adrenaline pumps as an exhibition for the viewers, but all that emanates out of the circle is the raw smell of the vital fluid which is not a pleasant experience, even for a gory film like this. Wait for the TV premiere and switch between channels during commercials for missing out won't be an issue.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO

An excellent drama film which brought us to somewhere else, because its Naturalistic, language and slang is very well in this movie throughout The movie gives some good messages too. It is a must watch movie, We can see a lot of changes in their characters and their dialogues Periodically. It is a fantastic ability of the actors and the director's brilliance. Each and every scene of this movie is enthusiastic. The dialogues and very touching and meaningful. The story is extraordinary. The whole crews effort can be seen in this film

I'm a Dulquer Salman fan and I loved "Kali" and "Charlie" and was very excited upon seeing the 8.1 rating on IMDb but was very disappointed after seeing this.

A story which could have easily been told entertainingly within 2 hours was stretched to 3 lengthy hours. Very few entertaining scenes and many unwanted scenes which could have been cut off. Its really really tough to sit through the whole 3 hours I wonder how one could sit through the 4 hour directors cut. Do yourself a favor and skip this one. Instead,read through the plot online.

A brilliant script utilized poorly.

Kammatipaadam is a gritty, testosterone-driven crime drama that also happens to be one of the most visually striking cinematic pieces ever made in Malayalam. The screenplay by P Balachandran does not hold many surprises in store for the discerning viewer, but is upheld righteously owing to some knockout performances. Leading the pack is Manikandan who plays the role of Balettan, the dark-skinned thug who carves a niche out for himself with his don't-give-a-crap attitude and daredevil antics, indirectly becoming an idol to his brother Ganga, played superbly by Vinayakan and his buddy Krishnan, played by none other than Dulquer Salmaan.

The coming-of-age portions are dealt with in a rather light-hearted fashion but with shades of grey and ample splashes of gore. The actors playing the younger selves of Ganga and Krishnan are also impressive and bring in enough charm to keep the viewer engrossed in the process of their upbringing. Few incidents of gang-wars, bloodshed and bootlegging leave a mark in their lives and these portions are handled deftly by director Rajeev Ravi. How violence becomes an integral aspect of their lives is portrayed effectively in the initial flashback bits. The romantic angle is also not forced at all, and possesses its own charm, blending smoothly with the scenario. Probably the only time the proceedings looked slightly contrived was during the prison fight sequence, which appears like it has been added merely to give DQ an opportunity to exhibit his superstar prowess.

The characterization of the three leads is something that deserves a special mention. Although Kammatipaadam is a film that runs close to 180 minutes, the director makes sure that the enchanting spell he has seemingly cast on the viewer is sustained from the very first shot of a stabbed Krishnan, trying to get onto a bus and ends up hazily reminiscing his good old days in chronological fashion. The musical score by K is absolutely outstanding and undoubtedly worthy of a standing ovation. His work in Yuddham Sei, Annayum Rasoolum and Kirumi may have helped in the industry taking notice of his talent, but Kammatipaadam validates his position amongst the best BGM composers in South India today. A delightful cocktail of instrumentals and blend of various musical styles, the background score of Kammatipaadam is certainly one of its unique selling points.

The cinematography by Madhu Neelakantan brilliantly captures the emotions of each of the characters and fuses them effectively against the backdrop of an evolving Ernakulam city. The narrative tries to elucidate how the current city took shape through the lives of these not-so-endearing local thugs. How the richer section of the society manipulated the lower strata for their own benefits and the take- over by the real estate mafia, are depicted in glorious fashion. There are quite a few standout scenes that will linger in your memory long after you've seen the film. Like when Balan tells his grandpa that the farming skills they have imbibed from their forefathers are of zilch utility in a place that is filling up with flats and factories. The ardent film-buff in me will never forget Manikandan's and Vinayakan's performances in Kammatipaadam. Credit should also go the supporting cast that includes Vinay Forrt, Shine Tom Chacko, Shaun Romy, Amalda Liz, Alancier, Suraaj Venjaramoodu, Anil Nedumangad, Soubin Shahir (he will surprise you as Karate Biju!), the writer P Balachandran himself and an array of actors many of whom I am not able to recall by name (like the ones who played Ganga's father and grandpa).

Those who still haven't watched the film citing too much violence as a reason, I urge those people to do so, invoking that very reason. The violence delineated in this film is out of necessity, and not in the name of mindless masala. This is crime-drama at its finest, people!