193. Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel; movie review

KODATHI SAMAKSHAM BALAN VAKKEEL
Cert 15
155 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, drug misuse

Art is meant to imitate life but as far as Malayalam actor Dileep is concerned, life is imitating art.
His character in B. Unnikrishnan's Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel is a lawyer but spends less time in court than the real Dileep has in recent weeks.
The actor has been accused of sexual assault by an actress and the case has been going through the courts at the same time as his movie hit cinemas.
Anyway, I cannot report on Dileep's private life but if it matches the convoluted nature of the plot of his movie, he will have a tough job trying to explain himself.
Although on one score it will be easier in reality - because he doesn't have the stammer with which his screen alter ego is afflicted.
Dileep's lawyer becomes a subject of ridicule because his speech impediment makes it so difficult to present in court.

Thus, he becomes exploited by his own work colleagues, his pot-head father (Siddique ) and even the criminal (Aju Varghese) he is defending.
The advocate finally finds his feet when he is asked to represent a woman who says she has been molested by the chief of police (Renji Panicker).
This sparks the most complex of narratives surrounding another young woman (Mamta Mohandas) whose dad (Rajesh Sharma) has been murdered.
Stuffed into the drama, there are moments which are supposed to be funny but almost entirely focus upon the inability of Dileep's advocate to get his words out.
Frankly, after the first ten such jokes, I was getting very bored.
Indeed, it wasn't only the comedy which didn't work during Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel. Neither did the action scenes in which Dileep looks misplaced.
As for the romance - yet again, an Indian movie seems to ignore the very significant age gap between its lead (the 51-year-old 'virgin', Dileep) and his co-star who is a young-looking 33. Consequently, it the match-up appears awkward.
Sure, there is pathos within the film's drama but it goes all around the houses before it makes its point and I am not convinced it is worth the endurance test.

Reasons to watch: Unusual masala movie
Reasons to avoid: Too disjointed to be really enjoyable

Laughs: None for me
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? In May, 2019, The Supreme Court stayed a trial against Dileep in a case where he was accused of sexual assault by a famous south Indian actress. 
It will consider Dileep's plea in seeking a copy of the digital evidence - the memory card that contains visuals of the purported crime - after the end of summer.

The final word. B. Unnikrishnan: "The tongue is a powerful organ for any lawyer. But when the film’s protagonist is a lawyer with a stammering impediment, these give way to ‘tragic comic’ situations. It, however, is not a movie that makes fun of people with speech impediments either because the protagonist realises that in spite of all the challenges, he can do something about his situation." Times Of India

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