Kalamkaval is an absolute treat for Mammootty die-hard fans. The actor does a fantastic job as the charming serial killer, but the film needed more polish. The women targeted by the protagonist have been written with zero care making it difficult to care for them. Vinayakan as the determined cop proves to be the perfect foil with his understated but very effective act.
Starcast: Mammootty, Vinayakan and others
Genre: Crime
Director and writer: Jithu K Jose
Additional writer: Jishnu Sreekumar
Producer: Mammootty
Production Company: Mammootty Kompany
Music: Mujeeb Majeed
Cinematography: Faisal Ali
Running time: 2 hours and 17 minutes
The story of Cyanide Mohan a notorious serial killer has caught the fancy of numerous filmmakers. Both movies and web series on how he trapped women systematically have come in the recent past. A good example is Dahaad streaming on Amazon Prime. The web series had the excellent Vijay Verma in the role of a supposedly mild manner college professor and a noble man doing social service. His actual reality though is something else. The 2025 Zee 5 Film Bhagwat Chapter one: Raakshas saw the Panchayat actor Jitendra Kumar in a surprisingly dark role.
Vijay Verma in Dahaad
Now you have Kalamkaval also inspired from the same terrain. The big difference here is the presence of the legendary Mammootty as the ladies’ man/psychopath. As earlier said the film often plays like an expensive showreel with him getting the meatiest scenes. This is both a plus and a minus: something which I will get to later. In simple terms Kalamkaval focuses on a seemingly ordinary man targeting a specific category of women. There are zero surprises regarding his identity. So, the question here is more about how the antagonist gets caught through the efforts of a honest and resolute cop Jayakrishnan (an excellent Vinayakan).
A strong aspect of Kalamkaval is the chilling atmospherics. A major credit for that goes to background score and cinematography. The shift of mood when Mammootty goes from charming to a beast has been wonderfully done. It gives ample thrills making the viewers scared about the protagonist’s psychological mindset. The cinematography is of an excellent order too. The duality of the antagonist with a sharp contrast between his family life and the sinister side is first rate. Both Mujeeb Majeed and Faisal Ali deserve distinction marks for a job very well done.
Mention must also be made of the psychoanalytical commentary. There is an important conversation between Jayakrishnan and his senior officer about the extreme dark nature of human beings. The conversation raises some important points on how the minds of a certain section work. This portion is brief, but it gives a psychological insight into the modus operandi of men like Cyanide Mohan.
It goes without saying that Mammootty is excellent. In spite of playing an antagonist previously too like Puzhu and Bramayugam the veteran actor shines bright even when proceedings start to get repetitive. How he turns the charms on when required and unleashes the venomous side strategically is a masterclass in acting. Vinayakan as Jayakrishnan is more subdued but the actor more than makes his presence felt. He is first rate in capturing the gritty nature of an honest cop.
Other than the two leads no other actor registers and this is a major issue with Kalamkaval. The women targeted by Mammootty especially have zero shades. They mostly exist to be impressed and then killed. This aspect makes Kalamkaval somewhat a tedious experience. Also, the stylish presentation of a serial killer to the point of romanticization needed to be avoided. A more earthy approach would have helped the proceedings.
The movie also suffers due to a major hangover of both Dahaad and Bhagwat Chapter one: Raakshas. The former particularly comes to the viewers mind especially for those who have seen the web series. The slow pace of police investigation and also the duality between antagonists’ domestic life and what he actually is feels like a major replica of that one.
Final word: Kalamkaval is worth watching to see Mammootty experimenting with different roles but a tighter narration with better women characters would have enhanced the final product.
