Kishkindha Kandam

 Kishkindha Kandam grabs you by the eyeballs from the very first scene and doesn’t let go until the credits roll. Directed by Dinjith Ayyathan, this Malayalam movie spins a suspenseful yarn around a retired army officer whose missing gun sets off a series of unexpected shenanigans. It all kicks off with a routine government order for gun license holders to stash their weapons at the nearest police station before elections.

A great thriller is like a complex jigsaw puzzle with pieces scattered all over the place, multiple storylines running side by side, and a narrative that hops around like a hyperactive rabbit. One of the hardest things about making a good mystery is keeping people guessing without making them feel dumb. It's even harder when you want the movie to be both thrilling and emotional. Every scene in this movie either deepens our understanding of the characters or gives us something juicy to chew on. So, the movie starts with a missing gun, but things quickly spiral out of control - next thing you know, someone's gone missing too! And just when you think you've got a handle on what's going on, the relationships between the characters start to shift and change. Plus, you get all these juicy revelations about the characters that just add to the mystery. The film is all over the place in the best way possible - it's like a thriller, a drama, and a mystery all rolled into one. You'll be on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what's gonna happen next. And nothing is as it seems here!

Now, here’s where it gets interesting: The Malayalam film industry knows how to take inspiration with style. Remember Drushyam? It borrowed a page from the Japanese film Suspect X, but twisted it so much that it barely resembled the original. Similarly, Kishkindha Kandam borrows a few ideas from Christopher Nolan’s Memento. There’s a line in the film about how nice it must be to live in the realities we construct for ourselves, rather than the harsh ones we actually face—an idea Memento played with. Themes like whether memory is just a series of events or a reality we wish to escape from, and whether forgetfulness is a blessing or a curse, echo Memento's vibe. Plus, this movie takes a few cues from the American crime thriller "Knox Goes Away", directed by Michael Keaton. I like how the Malayalam film industry takes inspiration from other movies, but then puts its own unique spin on things. It's like they're saying, "Hey, we love your idea, but we're gonna make it our own, thank you very much!" They take a cool story idea and then add their own spicy Indian twist to it and then mix in loads of their own special local flavor to whip up something totally unique. Now that's how you take inspiration and make it your own!