Kanam Review -  A Sweet Little Time Travel Flick!

Ashwin Ram

Kanam is a sci-fi genre film based on time travel. It's a Tamil-Telugu (Oke Oka Jeevitham) bilingual, directed by debutant Shree Karthick and stars Sharwanand, Amala Akkineni in the lead roles, with a bunch of other supporting artists.

Premise

Nassar is a scientist who invents a time travel machine. He is old, so he doesn’t want to risk it by travelling past time. Sharwanand and his two friends fall in place to time travel, they all have their reasons to agree to it and Nasser is also sending them with a hidden intention. They travel back a couple of decades and the story unfolds.

Writing/ Direction

The story is relatable as it’s not just a sci-fi, it has a few easily attractive stories that would connect easily. Initially, it felt like the film was wasting time on subplots that aren’t necessary, but when we get to know what they are going to do with those side tracks, it becomes a promising ride. The time travel subject is handled in a simple way here without complicating anything. The director has proved that just because he has taken a high concept, the treatment necessarily doesn’t have to be over-smart, instead he plays it to his strengths which is fun and sentiment. The combination scenes of the three friends meeting themselves when they were kids have come out superbly, neatly written situations and work as clap-worthy theatre moments. Like the masala films, there is an interval bang that’s cleverly conveyed here. Not just that, despite dipping at places, the overall screenplay is engaging, entertaining and emotionally packed. The meter is thankfully at the right level, one might find two or three melodramatic sequences here and there, but the mother angle is registered in a way it would be relishing enough to consume. The initial portions of the second half felt like the story wasn’t moving, then it picked up well with some cute and feel-good elements. The pace is unhurried and even sluggish at times, despite the flaws, the mood maintained throughout is something to be happy about.

Performances

Sharwanand as a lead in a Tamil movie after so long, he has played his subtle character nicely, he has made justice with the Tamil sync as well. Amala on-screen after ages, it was a delight to see her give a comeback, however she could have emoted better in the important dramatic situations. Perfect supporting cast, the kids especially ruled it whenever they appeared. Sathish and Ramesh Thilak are a solid fit, their jokes click at the apt places. Meaty roles for Nassar and Yog Japee, even with minimal screen space, the experienced actors make a mark. Ritu Varma just has a limited screen time, also nothing much to do in the story.

Technicalities

No nonsense songs, the situations are conveyed deeper with meaningful lyrics and soulful music, but the mother song here is very similar to the one from Valimai, co-incidence is that both are sung by Sid Sriram. Neat background score that keeps things light and also builds the tension at necessary places. Cinematographer has understood what is required for the film and delivered it, slow motion shots add value, and wish the colour tone was different for the period setup rather than going with the tone that’s very similar to the present timeline. Not so great editing, there were plenty of chances to cut-short few lengthy scenes and narrate them crisply with the same impact, but they played it safe by spoon feeding and explaining everything in a detailed manner.

Bottomline

Follows the slow and steady wins the race path, a simple and a neatly made sci-fi flick with no complex stuff. Despite the lags, an engrossing watch for the most part topped with the right amount of emotions.

Rating - 3.25/ 5