PremiumKasargold review: Asif Ali, Sunny Wayne-starrer is a relentlessly pacy and action-packed outing
The pace at which Kasargold’s progresses, the story does take a backseat because the makers seem to have prioritised giving the audience a theatrical experience
Last Updated: 02.34 PM, Sep 15, 2023
Story: In Kannur, two youths are killed after they get into a skirmish with a politician’s son. Meanwhile, Alby and his girlfriend Nancy, soon after smuggling gold from Dubai, get into a fight following a car accident with Faisal and his group of friends, only to realise that the contraband is missing after the chaos. How are the two incidents connected and will Alby be able to get the gold from the ones who stole him?
Review: Director Mridul Nair’s directorial Kasargold is not just about gold smuggling or youngsters trying to get rich quick by taking risks. In fact, that’s where the ball starts rolling in the film, and the pace never really ceases in this relentlessly action-packed outing, starring Asif Ali and Sunny Wayne in the lead.
Unlike Mridul and Asif’s previous collaboration, B Tech, which focused on its characters, Kasargold is in fact about the series of incidents that follow its protagonists, one more riskier than the other, and this makes the events gripping, even when the audience try and predict where this could go next. There are enough twists, especially the end reveal, that are smartly packed and further serve to elevate the film.
Unlike some of the action thrillers in Malayalam post-pandemic, there’s a certain amount of focus on how the storyline unfolds – with each incident and character having a purpose in the film. That said, the pace at which Kasargold progresses, the story does take a backseat because the makers seem to have prioritised giving the audience a theatrical experience – full of thumping music and rapid visuals. The runtime of the movie – at less than 2 hours and 20 minutes – also helps, making it a breezy watch, even if you aren’t quite invested in the characters,
It’s laudable that the film’s writers Mridul and Sajimon Prabhakar were able to pull off a story like this, which has stakeholders in Dubai, Kasargode and Kannur, and takes its protagonists on a whirlwind journey from North Kerala to Goa and back, all the while shedding light on today’s gold smuggling network and also a social message on greed.
The film might not have the ‘massy’ moments that some of the other action thrillers that had released, but it does have a certain original allure. This comes from its editing, Vishnu Vijay’s score and a colour grading reflective of its theme.
Performance wise, Asif as the adrenaline-driven Alby is fantastic while Sunny Wayne gets to play the relatively calmer and morose Faisal. Vinayakan is cast as a tainted cop and lends menace to his character. PP Kunikrishnan and director Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval also stand out in their respective roles. Malavika Sreenath is the only noted female presence in the movie, but her character’s ending isn’t quite explained.
Verdict: Mridul Nair’s Kasargold works because the makers seem to have been clear about what they wanted to accomplish with a movie like this – provide a theatrical experience to the audience by never letting the pace of the film slack. For most parts, they succeed.