Set during times of the pandemic, Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham follows the story of a man who doesn’t wish to go to the Gulf to work and instead wants to flourish his ‘failed’ business in Kerala. This until tragedy strikes. The story here can be categorized as a slice of life one but with undertones of a dramedy. This is something that I had previously seen in the Malayalam film Charles Enterprises(which is out theatrically today) too wherein a slice of life film did have traces of a religious satire. Thus, it did make me think of the gradual shifting of the once unadulterated genre into something interesting. Will it continue to be as effective is something that only time will tell! But here the story is simple yet effective with the kind of emotions that it does pack in. The screenplay here standing at a shade under 2 hours does manage for a leisurely watch that slowly embraces you with all the emotions, almost like a slow poison.

The drama does open with the introduction of the protagonist who is trying to setup a business in his local area despite having failed multiple times previously. In a typical world building fashion, the viewers are acquainted to the picturesque area, a home to a few interesting set of locals amidst the ongoing pandemic. There is a tinge of humour that is passing as an undercurrent in this leisurely paced drama which is a slow burn in every sense of the word. But this is what allows the viewers time to invest in the characters. And this is important as the screenplay is fuelled by the character motivations despite a simplistic premise. The character dynamics are interesting and it does follow a strong foundation for the rest of the drama to follow.

The proceedings are immersive and engaging given the attempts made by the protagonist at succeeding in a business as opposed to going to the Gulf to work with his father. This also gives the viewers a fair idea of the relationship that the protagonist does share with his father, who is never shown onscreen. The pandemic does play a very important part in the film too. Not only does it contribute to a business idea for the protagonist in the first hour(which falls through later) but more importantly acts as a foreshadow for the twist in the tale at the halfway mark. That twist is shocking and heartbreaking, and from there on the drama gradually shifts gears to become a dramedy.

The 3 years of the pandemic were probably the hardest phase of humanity in the last hundred years. And it did bring with it, its set of complications with respect to so many processes. That is something that is told through a sharp but subtle social commentary in the second half. As they say, that earning money is not the hardest thing while growing up. It is seeing your parents and family members grow old and eventually pass away that is probably the hardest thing especially in your late 20s or your 30s. And this sentiment was just so well explored here which did pack in the right kind of emotions. Also, what was heartening to watch was the change in the equation of the people around the protagonist, most of whom did come forward to help during his testing times. This, while a cloud of remorse and regret did encompass the protagonist which was beautifully expressed through his silence

The events leading up to the final act were quite heartfelt and emotional in so many ways than one. It was enough to make any grown up man cry and I did shed a tear or two myself. There was a hollow feeling that I came out with, something which was similar to the Hindi film October which was emotionally stirring. This did sum up the screenplay which was beautifully penned with traces of hunour and a tragedy which was heartbreaking in more ways than one!