A spark that fails to sustain itself

We hear it took Murali Gopi more than two years to complete the screenplay of Kammara Sambhavam. But it’s only as the end-credits roll, after an almost-tedious three hours, one realises why.

The film is part political satire, part thriller and part period drama — there are so many variables at play.

On the surface, it’s an ambitious, rock-steady narrative exploring a virgin territory.

But as the initial appeal wears off, one cannot help noticing a distinct streak of vacuum. The problem with the much-hyped Dileep-starrer is that it runs out of steam very often, in all parts, leading to the most underwhelming climax in recent times. The film has a spark, but it fails to light up the screen.

Kammara Sambhavam is all about how history is half lie, half fiction, a construct miles apart from truth. It is the tale of Kammaran Nambiar ‘who is no MGR but M.N. Nambiar’ — a conniving, racist weasel of a hero. It shows how he worms his way into the life of the woman he loves and twists history with the help of a film.

It has a promising premise, but the filmmaker seems clueless about how to build it into an edgy, intriguing watch.

The cinema within cinema is loaded with sarcasm, but sadly it loses its sting in the sea of technical flamboyance.

Every now and then one will have to remind oneself it’s a spoof. Kammara Sambhavam has strikingly shot retro frames, but the beauty here is just skin deep.

On the other side, Dileep looks effortlessly the part, his expressions and body language exude wickedness and villainy.

And even when he plays the mass hero, the roguish-splendour-oozing part, he does not look a misfit.

But then he talks about the ‘blood of innocents’ and ‘finding a girl to accuse a man of molestation to divert media attention’.

Add to it some some well-targeted digs and patrician quotes, making it all the more stilted.

If nothing else, the film is in need of sensible editing.

Navamy Sudhish