Sidharth Bharathan is best known for his direction rather than his acting if we consider the films he did after his debut in 2002. More than a decade later, here comes a crime drama which is only tolerable because of him.
Narendran (Sidharth Bharathan) is a young taxi driver who lives with his wife (Parvathy Nair) and his mother. Although finding it difficult to make ends meet, Narendran often gives in to his wife's materialistic needs in return for matrimonial perks, much to his mother's chagrin. His wife knows that Narendran had to pawn her gold ornaments for the vehicle that he uses as a taxi, but is ignorant of the fact, and instead instills dashes of dreamy needs in him, eventually forcing him to do some deeds that he knows are not right. One such deed, as one could easily predict, lands him in trouble with the drug mafia. The story then follows his harried attempts at bouncing back to his unstable yet peaceful life. But, does he succeed?
The theme basically talks about the demerits of having a materialistic partner. How greed in a marriage can make both the parties involved do things - things that can even get them behind bars. Even if the film succeeds in showcasing this properly, what does not work for it is the characters. Why they do what they do is not really something that writer Rajesh Narayan put much thought into. It is mostly because of debutante Soujan Josseph's short-form direction that keeps the audience hooked.
Cast performance is generally decent, with Bharathan doing his bit and maintaining the flow. Nair also has a significant role, but is sort of an antagonist here, with the supporting cast doing fine. Don't know why Shine Tom Chacko was hired, because his character could have been easily done without.
All in all, the film has its ups and downs, which quickly turns from a family drama to crime and then back. An afternoon watch with your family members won't hurt.
BOTTOM LINE: Soujan Josseph's debut feature, "Koappayile Kodumkattu" is that type of a forgotten film which is much better than some of the mainstream turkeys they churn out these days. It at least has something new to say, with an engaging screenplay. Watch it on TV.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
