Crafting a genuinely funny moment, especially one involving a widely recognized item like ‘Dolo 650’, demands clever writing and impeccable timing. However, “Karam,” directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, unfortunately places such a comedic effort squarely in the midst of a tense operation to dismantle a human trafficking network. The result is humor that feels entirely out of place and ultimately falls flat, undermining the seriousness of the subject matter.
In fact, these ill-timed jokes in the film’s final act, juxtaposed against harrowing scenes of brutal violence and the suffering of trafficking victims, are paradoxically some of the movie’s ‘brighter’ moments – a testament to how uninspired the rest of the film is. It feels as though the filmmakers were more concerned with realizing a fantasy of shooting a generic action movie in a Western setting than with developing a compelling story or screenplay, which consequently suffers from a palpable lack of originality and an abundance of clichés.
Karam (Malayalam)
One needn’t look further than Vineeth’s own Thira (2013), which also delved into human trafficking, but boasted a far stronger screenplay and featured Shobhana in a lead role that provided much-needed gravitas. Noble Babu Thomas, who co-scripted and starred in the impressive “Helen”, falls back on conventional tropes in writing “Karam”, making no genuine attempt to introduce any element of surprise. He also takes on the role of protagonist Dev Mahendran, a broken military man whose life has been marred by professional and personal misfortunes. Although he has seemingly moved on and built a happy family life, his past inevitably resurfaces to challenge him.
Much of the action unfolds in the fictional city of Lenarco, situated somewhere in Georgia. When Dev’s path inadvertently crosses with the city’s notorious trafficking ring, he is compelled to switch back into mission mode to confront the danger and save the day. The character writing often feels purely functional, serving merely as placeholders to facilitate the action sequences, which unfortunately prevents any real emotional investment from the audience. The only character arc that leaves a fleeting impression is that of Sana (Audrey Miriam), though even her storyline requires a significant suspension of disbelief to accept the chain of events.
Dev’s complicated relationship with his father (Manoj K.Jayan) and its eventual evolution could have been a deeply poignant element, but here it occasionally veers into unintentional comedy. Baburaj’s portrayal of a bumbling goon might have found its place in a more quirky film, but it clashes awkwardly with “Karam’s” predominantly dark tone. Such ill-fitting characters and scenes, unevenly distributed throughout the narrative, make one question whether the filmmakers themselves were clear about the desired tone and style for the movie. Even celebrated football manager Ivan Vukomanović is given a role that merely requires him to appear formidable, yet his character leaves virtually no lasting impression. While the action sequences are passable, they lack the support of a truly gripping narrative.
Ultimately, “Karam” is a staid and emotionally barren film about human trafficking that utterly fails to offer any fresh perspective or narrative depth.
Karam is currently running in theatres