If the timing of Kanmani Anbodu was not right the use of that song would have been a mere cinematic gimmick. Even though the song was repeated in portions throughout the movie at various points it doesn’t bore you because most of us who watched the movie late know this song was used to elevate something but we don’t know where and how. Did the movie do justice to the hype it created among the audiences?

Cast: Shoubin Shahir, Shreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi, Lal Jr, Deepak Parampol, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, George Mariam, Ramachandran and many others.
Crew: Chidambaram (Writer & Director), Shyju Khalid (Cinematography), Sushin Shyam (Music), Vivek Harshan (Editor)

We are introduced to a group of friends who do different jobs in their hometown Manjummel and they are part of an Arts club. Like many male gangs, they plan a trip to Goa but end up going to Kodaikanal which is closer to their hometown and also under budget. They go anywhere and everywhere drunk (typical of most male gangs) and after visiting many places in Kodaikanal they chose to go to Gunaa Cave aka Devil’s Kitchen. One of the friends accidentally falls into a hole which no one knows the depth of. Did their friend survive? How they reacted to it and what they did afterward form the crux of this survival drama.

The movie starts on a lighter note and slowly moves to a grippy drama when one of the friends falls into the hole. When the others try to get help outside Guna Caves, another drama happens with Friends and people who come for help inside the cave. We are introduced to the Police Officers who don’t want to help but throw the blame on the Victims and at the same time we see good souls who try to help people. The movie tries to paint a neutral picture and doesn’t make a Judgemental tone however it tries to show the truth as is.

Manjummel Boys had a very gripping screenplay and I was hooked to know what would happen especially when Kuttan decides to do something heroic. All those moments were very intense, the Director cleverly used commercial cinema tropes to make us invest in the rescue mission, especially the placement of the “Kanmani Anbodu” song. Most of us were already on a high towards the climax and the song elevated the whole scene and the collective emotions of the audience made a hoot. I’m unsure if the movie will be received the same way when it hits the OTT. We’ll have to wait and see.

The movie is about friends who get drunk, do all sorts of nonsense, and try doing adventurous stuff however, it also acknowledges the fact that getting drunk might put you in trouble. The whole is about that and what good friends do.

Do watch the movie while it is in theaters for a great theatrical experience. Until the next movie, Ciao ????