Even though Jeethu Joseph’s masterful grip over whodunit thrillers always put me on the edge of my seat, I was never a fan of his filmmaking skills. There was a constant artificial that pops up every time he executes a dramatic progression but Kooman Jeethu Joseph delivers a rewarding cinematic experience with his excellent command of the direction.
Kooman is a murder mystery that doesn’t jump right into the pile of murders the protagonist wants to resolve rather takes the entire first half to create a magnificent character arc that eventually helps the investigative procedures of the second hour. Giri, the protagonist, is a police constable butis not shown as a righteous one. He’s introduced as a sharp-witted intelligent officer but the shady, vengeful side also accompanies him in his journey. Jeethu Joseph and writer Krishna Kumar carve an excellent arc out of him, probably the best in recent years. Kooman in the initial hour travels with Giri testing his intelligence and his crookedness with some brilliant writing stretches. Krishna Kumar is spot on with his character developments and let his characters take forward the proceedings accompanied by several brilliances. After Giri’s dark side is revealed Kooman slowly executes it’s intentions unraveling the set of murders leading to the revelations and clues. What makes Kooman a Jeethu Joseph magic is it never relies too much on the final twist but the shift is inclined more towards the investigation and clues to reach the finale. Each revelation you get will throw a chill down your spine and with each connecting dots Krishna Kumar hooks us more into the act. While the first half was more about Girl’s characteristics the latter half intrigue you with a fine staging of mystery and horror. Kooman also offers the usual Jeethu Joseph tropes like the tea shops, hilltop setting where the events mostly revolve around but it’s more refined this time with a neat packaging of drama. But if you expect an adrenaline rush from the ultimate finale you might get a tad upset but I believe that was an intentional move from Jeethu Joseph.
Kooman belongs to Asif Ali the actor who fits the bill perfectly playing emotions in the right metre. Giri has another side to him that might go wrong in the hands of an actor with a ‘superstar image’ but Asif Ali blends well evoking a sense of hate at the same time we root for him. Kooman will break his flop streak and provide him with much needed box office relief. Jaffer Idukki continues to surprise with his acting skills and his pivotal role helps in tuning Giri. Baburaj, Renji Panicker, Meghanathan make good company to the intriguing proceedings.
Kooman composes lots of night shots and Satheesh Kurup adds more tension to the thrills with his beautiful and intense visuals. Krishna Kumar loads Kooman with several surprising situations where Vishnu Shyam with his enigmatic soundtrack elevates the experience. We’ll feel a sudden rush in us at several points thanks to the excellent sound design and music.
Kooman is a masterful stroke from the man of mystery tales and joining hands with Krishna Kumar is one of the best things that happened to him. All the elements uniformly join together to deliver a kickass thriller that will definitely leave you in awe. Kooman deserves a theatrical experience.
Review ©Rahul Babu