How ‘Kalamkaval’ breaks away from Mollywood’s growing obsession with gore | Analysis

The Malayalam film ‘Kalamkaval’, which hit theatres in December, arrived as one of the year’s most anticipated releases. With Mammootty cast as a cold-blooded serial killer, the film appeared poised to follow the increasingly familiar path of graphic, violence-heavy thrillers. That expectation seemed reinforced by the fact that the narrative draws inspiration from the real-life crimes of Cyanide Mohan, one of South India's most notorious serial killers. Yet, ‘Kalamkaval’ defies these assumptions. Apart from a detailed opening scene in which the killer slowly chokes his lover, the film largely avoids excessive violence, drawing its impact instead from emotional depth and narrative complexity.

Throughout the film, the killer’s actions, though undeniably horrific, are handled with restraint, favouring psychological complexity over explicit bloodshed. The horror lies not so much in what is shown, but in how the protagonist’s modus operandi is revealed. By resisting the urge to shock for its own sake, ‘Kalamkaval’ demonstrates that suspense can be built through suggestion rather than spectacle.

This restraint is what allows ‘Kalamkaval’ to stand out, particularly when viewed against the backdrop of recent Malayalam films that have leaned heavily into gore. Mammootty’s performance anchors the film, but it is the measured approach to violence that sets it apart. Whether the film satisfies every viewer’s appetite for thrills is open to debate. What is clear, however, is that ‘Kalamkaval’ avoids becoming yet another entry in the growing list of violence-driven thrillers that dominate the genre today.

Several recent films illustrate this trend. ‘Pani’, while intriguing in parts, relied extensively on graphic violence, including prolonged stabbing sequences and explicit depictions of sexual assault. ‘Marco’, starring Unni Mukundan, pushed the envelope further, with its adult certification and marketing foregrounding its extreme content. Even films positioned as more family-oriented, such as ‘Thudarum’, ‘Officer on Duty’ and ‘Lokah’, featured levels of violence that at times rivalled Hollywood productions in terms of bloodshed and brutality.

Is this growing reliance on explicit violence a result of pop culture influences, such as Quentin Tarantino’s cinema, known for its shock value, or the stylised brutality often seen in Korean films by directors like Kim Ki-duk? Film critic A Chandrasekhar offers a different explanation, linking the shift to changing patterns of film consumption in the post-modern internet era.

“There is a growing tendency among audiences to expect everything to be laid out explicitly,” he says. “Many filmmakers today feel compelled to explain every detail, leaving little room for interpretation or imagination. Audiences want to be told exactly what is happening, without the subtlety that open-ended storytelling allows.”

Chandrasekhar points out that many classic films deliberately created space for viewers to participate in meaning-making. “The audience was invited to engage more actively, using imagination to fill in the gaps. That space is what often makes crime stories more compelling. When narratives are crafted with nuance and restraint, the connection between the film and the viewer becomes much deeper.”

He is quick to add that violence itself is not new to Malayalam cinema. “K G George’s ‘Irakal’ or Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s ‘Vidheyan’ were violent films, but the violence was largely symbolic and metaphorical. It allowed room for the audience’s imagination, creating a more aesthetic experience while giving filmmakers greater creative freedom,” he says.

According to filmmaker Jithin K Jose, ‘Kalamkaval’ does not entirely avoid violence, but consciously limits it. “That was a joint decision taken by all of us. We wanted the film to be accessible to every section of the audience,” he says. “It was a risk, especially since Malayali audiences have grown accustomed to fast-paced, action-driven violent thrillers. This film does not follow that template, but the response has been encouraging.”

Released on December 5, ‘Kalamkaval’ has collected over Rs 80 crore at the box office in three weeks.

Jithin explains that the film’s visual and narrative choices stem from its focus on the killer’s psyche. “He wanted the women he trapped to believe he was a gentle lover. He could not afford to be overtly violent, and we tried to convey that through an aesthetic visual language. That was another reason why we kept the violence minimal,” he adds.

Mollywood, long known for its realistic and grounded storytelling, may need to introspect on the kind of violent content it increasingly foregrounds. By leaning on suggestion, atmosphere and psychological depth rather than explicit brutality, ‘Kalamkaval’ offers a reminder that restraint can be just as powerful, and perhaps more enduring, than excess.