Kavi Uddheshichathu..?

Nothing much to recommend in this film except for the scene where Asif Ali fights a snake inside a well. That and the part where the young men from the village attend a selection camp for the police force.

This is yet another film about rivalries between various gangs in a Kerala village that culminates in a handball tournament. There have been so many films about gang rivalries in Malayalam cinema. This film brings nothing new to the old story about the rivalries between various classes of people. Some films like Pulimurugan and Kasabah shock you with the audaciousness of their mediocrity. And there are ones like Kavi Udeshichathu which are just dull, repetitive and banal.

Asif Ali and Biju Menon phone it in. Ganapathi was quite impressive. Lena was insufferable as a tough woman who rides a bike. Balu Varghese was terribly self conscious. Avoid if you can. It is not even worth watching on TV.

I still cannot fathom what led Asif Ali to produce this claptrap, which is marketed as a comedy by debutante Liju Thomas.

Kavalam Jimmy (Asif Ali) is a young loafer who does not like to lose - be it at a game of volleyball or at life. He hails from a poor background, and works as an errand boy for a village merchant. Right now, he is trying to get it on with Jasmine (Anju Kurian), the kid sister of Vattathil Bosco (Narain), a pompous middle-aged son-of-a-rich-man, who in turn has his eyes on Jimmy's widowed sister. Things take an upward hike when Bosco announces a volleyball championship in the village and one of his aides bets Jimmy that if he wins, Bosco will marry Jasmine off to him. The convenient story then takes to the volleyball court as stares and reactions move around in the air.

While the first part is corrugated comedy delivered by the supporting cast, the second half is a sports drama intensified by Biju Menon's sexist character. There is nothing much to talk about here as I'm sure the viewers will be exchanging glances at each other, wondering what the hell is happening on-screen. Where is the poet? And what did he intend?

With half-baked characters and some of the worst performances (Narain, Kurian) this year, this debut feature is not only indecent but also of low quality. With only few jokes here and there, the film fails to deliver what it initially promises to offer - entertainment for families.

BOTTOM LINE: Liju Thomas's "Kavi Uddheshichathu..?" is a below average affair which is let down by its overall execution, and inclusion of a ridiculously shot sports drama towards the climax. Switch channels when it premieres on TV.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES