Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham preview: All you need to know about Nivin Pauly, Grace Antony’s comedy

From its teaser, Nivin Pauly’s Kanakam Kamini Kalaham promised a hilarious ride like no other. The movie is directed by Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval, who had previously helmed the critically and commercially-acclaimed Android Kunjappan Ver. 5.25, has an ensemble cast featuring Nivin and Grace Antony in the lead.

Vinay Forrt, Jaffer Idukki, Joy Mathew and Rajesh Madhavan play the other pivotal characters in the film, which was shot right after the pandemic restrictions were lifted in Kerala last year.

Kanakam Kamini Kalaham marked Nivin’s first film after the pandemic began. Before the lockdown, the actor was shooting for Liju Krishna’s Padavettu. Nivin has also produced Kanakam Kamini Kalaham, which went on floors on November 6, 2020 and wrapped up by December 12, 2020.

What is Kanakam Kamini Kalaham about?

The film revolves around a couple played by Nivin and Grace. Ratheesh in an interview with OTTplay told us, “It’s about a couple who gets stuck in a hotel due to an issue. And the hotel is something we can’t imagine because it’s that crazy. If it was a horror story, you would say it’s a haunted hotel, but here the couple, who have their issues, gets to a place that has even bigger problems and a backstory. The rest of the story evolves in the hotel.” From the 20th minute of the movie, the film is set in the hotel. The movie’s plot is inspired from an incident that happened in Ratheesh’s life.

Where was Kanakam Kamini Kalaham shot?

The team had begun its first schedule in Kochi at Abad Atrium. The filmmaker said he picked the hotel due to its design. “We needed a hotel like that, where we could see the lobby or reception from any floor. We had searched for a lot of hotels but found that design only there. It was also shot during the pandemic and because the actors and technicians were based in Kochi, it suited our needs,” he told OTTplay.

What is the genre of Kanakam Kamini Kalaham?

The movie has over-the-top comedy and certain people have been referring to its genre as surreal humour. The director also confirmed to us that it’s humour is over-the-top.

“Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham is an extremely quirky film and I am also a bit concerned about the quirkiness quotient because I don’t know if people will accept it. But, whoever has worked in the movie and has watched it too are really happy. When I showed it to some of my friends outside the team, like Sanu John Varghese, they were delighted with the film and making-wise, they said it’s above Android Kunjappan. I was glad to hear that feedback from a cameraman like Sanu,” he said.

However, Ratheesh also concedes that this wasn’t the initial plan and it evolved due to the film’s location and team. “During the scripting, it was written as a realistic film as the story is inspired from an incident that happened in my life. But that changed when we reached the hotel and planned the costume and art design of the movie. So, the entire mood and space evolved and the quirkiness got elevated once the production design came into play. As I also have a background in that, I could execute it easily. For instance, you would find influences of Wes Anderson’s movies in many places in the film. But this thought wasn’t there during the scripting stage or discussions with Nivin. It just happened unknowingly during the process of filmmaking,” he said.

Vinay Forrt, who plays a hotel manager in the film, also said that the humour of the movie is what attracted him to it in the first place, and Ratheesh took it up a notch while filming.

“When I read the script of Kanakam Kamini Kalaham, I was blown away. There are only 5-6 characters in the movie and I am one among them” Vinay told us. “But when we began shooting it, the entire film just went up a notch. In most of the films, we do comedies that guarantee minimum laughs. Ratheeshettan, as a filmmaker, is crazy and his sense of humour is unbelievable. If you talk to him for five minutes, he will crack at least three jokes that will have you laughing out loud. It was working with someone crazier than me. So, the comedy in the movie is a bit over the top, it’s not that realistic.”

Vinay also said that the team had an advantage as the entire movie was shot in order. “So, we could accurately portray the emotional graph of our characters. There were so many scenes that Ratheeshettan added later because of that,” he said.

How involved was Nivin Pauly in the film?

Ratheesh was all praise for working with Nivin. “It’s difficult to get a producer like him for your second film. I didn’t have to think about the film’s cost or concerned areas. As an actor, he isn’t someone who comes and acts; he tries to understand the core of the story, eliminate all his doubts and confusion and then deliver his performance. It was also easy working with him,” he said.

The actor was also involved during the post-production stage. “There was a lot of give and take, even during the editing process. I didn’t think of it as a producer’s interference, but more as his positive involvement. Also, because it’s the pandemic, everyone has time to look into each aspect,” said Ratheesh.

When will Kanakam Kamini Kalaham release?

The movie, which was cleared by the Censor Board with a U certificate, is slated for an OTT release, Ratheesh had exclusively confirmed to us.

The movie will release on Disney+ Hotstar on November 12.

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