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By now, Fahadh Faasil has become the trusted lieutenant so many times – the captain who might just save a sinking ship – that when you see a film come crashing down, you turn to him expectantly to give his magical touch and pull it back to its feet. No such luck in Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira, where Fahadh not only becomes a mute participant but is dragged down to the pits it falls into, along with his loyal audience.
The hurt is all the greater for the sheer disappointment of seeing such a brilliant team fail. Althaf Salim, the writer and filmmaker, made an unforgettable debut with Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela, in which he treated a serious subject like cancer with a uniquely humorous touch, and got away with it. Althaf, who is also a versatile actor, attempts a similar approach for Odum Kuthira, looking at depression through a comic lens. The idea must have looked great on paper, but the script becomes a mishmash of poor writing, badly executed sequences, and plotlines that make no sense.
Nearly every character is a caricature, and every situation is made a mockery of. Quirky ideas like these do work well, but only with a meticulous script – something Odum Kuthira lacks. Fahadh and Kalyani play a couple about to get married, but on the eve of the wedding she comes to him with a dream and demands he ride a horse to the venue. A pack of peculiar characters are introduced in the hours leading to the wedding: the groom’s hyperactive dad (Lal), whose mental illness is talked of in humour; the wayward brother (Vinay Forrt); the bride’s dad (Suresh Krishna, still handling his new witty avatar well). There are also sidekicks, played by fresh faces, arranging the wedding and, of course, the horse. Something is predictably about to go wrong.
On screen, these introductory scenes become a preview of what’s to come – the chaos of many voices, poor jokes, mismatched music, and half-baked ideas going nowhere.
One man’s fall, being trapped in a looping dream, break-ups, reunions, and even death – all receive the same poor treatment of humour that never lands. Fahadh’s expressive glances or Kalyani’s wide-eyed gestures are no help. At some point you’d want to tell the titular horse, odu kuthira – run away, horse – at least, save yourself.
All the 'comedy', if you look deep, is meant to lighten the weight of mental illness. But in trying to distract from depression, the film keeps wandering into random directions – even to a stranger and her problems. Beneath the layers of poor writing, there is a faint idea of purpose, but it surfaces only in brief flashes when vulnerability is allowed to show. Perhaps that is also the point of the dreams the film keeps returning to.
If the film aimed to coat the difficulties with cryptic humour, it should not have stopped at unformed ideas. Althaf is a master of comic timing when it comes to his acting. In writing comedy, however, he seems to have slipped. Let’s hope he rises back to his feet again, he has the skill.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.