Nna Thaan Case Kodu

Courtroom dramas have always been a tricky proposition for Malayalam and recently, the genre has delivered inconsistent returns. Although I personally liked Nivin Pauly's audacious genre-bender "Mahaveeryar (2022)" that turned the courtroom into a fantasy vehicle, the film was an abject failure at the box office, suffering a similar fate as that of more generic legal dramas like "Vaashi (2022)" and the shambolic "Naradan (2022)". "Nna, Thaan Case Kodu" had reached a zenith in pre-release publicity after Kunchacko Boban's ridiculously goofy dance steps to the cult retro song "Devadoothar Padi" went viral, and thankfully the Ratheesh Balakrishna Poduval directorial bucks the trend, delivering a sparkling, witty film that finely balances its laughs with hard-hitting social commentary.

Kunchacko stars as "Rameshan" a former burglar who has seemingly reformed his ways but still ends up in the crosshairs of an apathetic legal system as he is arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Determined to prove that he has left his life of crime behind him to his new lady love, Rameshan decides to taken on the legal system, arguing his own case and digging out the most unexpected witnesses and legal loopholes to find his pay out of his peculiar predicament.

Director Ratheesh Balakrishna Poduval has used an innovative street casting method to arrive at his secondary string of actors, finding talent from the laymen living in and around his shoot locations. And the payoff is a rich, motley crew of realistic, salt-of-the-earth performers with the wisecracking magistrate and a scheming opposition lawyer the standouts. This casting method has also given an air of rustic, rooted authenticity to proceedings which becomes crucial to drive home the film's socially relevant messages - be it systemic corruption, rising fuel prices or how inaccessible the legal system is for the common man.

Kunchacko Boban continues on his splendid run of picking offbeat scripts with unconventional characters and delivers a third straight must-watch film after "Bheemante Vazhi (2021)" and "Pada (2022)". With his upcoming release "Ariyippu (2022)", a collaboration with the ever-dependable Mahesh Narayanan, already creating waves after getting selected for the prestigious Locarno Film Festival, the best seems to be yet to come for Malayalam's chocolate-boy turned serious character actor! Nna Ningal Poy Padam Kaanu. Highly recommended!!