Kolamaavu Kokila
Introduction
This weekend brings with it a fresh set of releases, one of them being the Hindi film Good Luck Jerry which is the official Hindi Remake Of The Original Tamil film Kolamaavu Kokila. Now I hadn’t watched Kolamaavu Kokila yet and it was lying in my watchlist for a very long time. And so I thought this was a perfect opportunity to watch the film which marked the debut of Nelson as a director who had gone on to make the prolific Doctor. If you are familiar with Nelson’s filmography then barring his latest film Beast, his other works have an element of dark humour which is refreshing to witness. I was hoping for a similar roller coaster of a ride with Kolamaavu Kokila. So then does Kolamaavu Kokila manage to impress, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Kolamaavu Kokila follows the story of Kokila who gets involved in drug trafficking while trying to save her mother from a terminal disease. The story might seem like your usual gangster tale but this one has elements of dark humour which will make you chuckle often. The screenplay standing at 135 minutes means that it is fast paced and keeps you constantly on your toes.
This is a typical Nelson screenplay(again barring Beast) where he opens with unrelated events which do seem mutually exclusive. So you have a sequence involving the gangster shooting a cop only to cut to the life of the main protagonist who has just lost her job. As the drama further unfolds, the two worlds merge with the conflict being used just as a catalyst which was something interesting to witness.
This is Nelson’s first film and so I felt the screenplay had its flawed moments which just make the drama stutter slightly. Some of the sequences are a tad too stretched(only some not all), something which could have been maybe trimmed a bit. If I have to compare this film to Doctor(because both films are of similar genres), then all the mistakes made here are rectified in Doctor which came out later while adding a lot of massy events.
The humour here is indeed dark and delicious particularly in the second hour. That final act had me laughing while all the goons get killed off one by one. Even some sequences before the final act where the character of Yogi Babu discovers the family transporting drugs makes for a hilarious watch. Only the final twist just felt underwhelming and simplistic. But overall a pretty thrilling screenplay with right doses of dark humour.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are witty and they capture the sly and dark sense of humour perfectly. The music is really good and the good part was that the songs did not deter the flow of the drama, instead it made the drama progress. The BGM is also excellent and it oftens escalates the tension in many scenes. The cinematography is really good. Director Nelson in his directorial debut did show glimpses of what he is capable of. His direction is rough around the edges here but he still does an excellent job here.
Performances
The performances are mind blowing here. Hareesh Peradi as Bhai and Motta Rajendran as Alphonse are first rate. Anbu Thasan and Yogi Babu add to the humour in the drama really efficiently. Saravanan as Inspector Guru has his moments to shine. Saranya Ponvannan as Kokila’s mother really shines especially towards the backend of the drama. But it is the act by Nayanthara which is really prolific. As Kokila she is well restrained yet able to emote effortlessly which will be a huge challenge for Janhvi Kapoor to replicate! Certainly big shoes to fill here!
Conclusion
Kolamaavu Kokila is a thrilling dark comedy which is absolutely worth your time. This film though has its flaws which can be corrected in Good Luck Jerry. This often does make me skeptical given the nature of renakes. But the makers begin shows like Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein and Apaharan are at the helm of it. So with much skepticism and hope, I will be watching Good Luck Jerry. Meanwhile you can watch Kolamaavu Kokila on Zee5.