Anchakkallakokkan, directed by debutant Ullas Chemban, is not your regular police procedural drama, though the film features a bunch of cops who are hell bent on solving a murder mystery. Starring Chemban Vinod and Lukman Avaran in lead roles, Anchakkallakokkan, is a film that is steeped in rich traditions and blends of myth and reality.
The film is set in Kalahasti, a village in the Karnataka -Kerala border, which witnesses a murder just days before a prominent election. The victim is Chaapra, an influential villager whose death sets off a chain of events. While Chaapra's death forms the background, we are introduced to the 'Porattanadakam', which is a folk form practised by the Panar community in Palakkad. Vasudevan, played by Lukman Avaran, is a newbie cop from the community, who is assigned to Kalahasti. Nadavaramban Peter played by Chemban Vinod is a senior police man who makes him feel closer to home at the new place.
The movie employs a non-linear style, which is elevated by the presence of some intriguing characters who appear in random scenes in the film. The two characters referred to as Gilappis by Peter, are Chaapra's sons who are also parallelly tracking their father's killer. Their presence is meant to intimidate but they are also employed as a spoof to generate a lighter mood in the narrative.
They often appear in colourful shirts and speak in a high-pitched voice that trivializes the brutality they are capable off. The characters seem to be a slight imitation of Vinayakan's previous roles in films like 'Aadu' and 'Jailer'.
Ullas, who is Chemban's brother, is a fan of Quentin Tarantino's movies and has apparently used the narrative style in Anchakkallakokkan. There is violence in the movie, but it is stylised, and you don't feel repelled by the gory acts, especially in the climax scene. The storyline is not new and resorts to cliches, but the film manages to stay engaging throughout, barring the initial confusion in the first half.
The performances by Chemban Vinod, Lukman Avaran, Manikandan Achari, Megha Thomas also add to the film's charm.
