Kalidas Jayaram entered the Malayalam film industry as a child actor through the movie 'Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal', and his brilliant performance in that film made many Mollywood fans believe that he was a Superstar in the making. However, the actor who came back into the industry as a solo hero failed to live up to the expectations, and his recent release 'Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu' loudly proclaims the fact that the actor should concentrate more on script selection.
The story of fanship set in the backdrop of a village
Directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas, 'Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu' is set in a small village in Thrissur named Kaattoorkadavu. The village is known for its love towards football, and there are two major groups of football fans in the area. The group of Argentina fans is led by Vipinan (Kalidas Jayaram) while Mehrunneesa (Aishwarya Lekshmi) leads Brazil fans.
Even though both of them are arch rivals when it comes to football, they share positive chemistry in their real life, and moreover, Vipinan has been loving Mehrunneesa from his school days.
The fight between Argentina and Brazil fans that happens during World Cup Football tournaments form the major crux of the movie.
Average direction and derailed screenplay
Sports dramas set in the backdrop of villages are not new in the Malayalam film industry, and audiences have witnessed similar movies in the past that includes '1983' and 'Godha'. Both these movies succeed as sports thrillers, and these films can also boast about a strong storyline. However, when it comes to 'Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu', the director fails miserably to craft a sports drama with some substance. The thrill elements of sports were limited to some world cup matches that we see on television screens.
Midhun Manuel Thomas failed to extract the best from Kalidas Jayaram. In some scenes, especially in comic sequences, the actor went over the board, and it literally disappointed the audiences. However, Aishwarya Lekshmi succeeded in living up to the expectations, and she is the only saving grace of the movie.
As usual, Gopi Sundar did a neat job as the musician, and his background score played a crucial role in elevating the mood of the movie in many crucial moments.
Final Verdict
Kalidas Jayaram should be very careful while selecting scripts, and if it goes like this, he may face the fate encountered by Shahnavas Prem Nazir in the past.
