Crafting humor around something as mundane as a ‘Dolo 650’, as attempted in Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Karam, demands genuine cleverness. However, humor is all about context and impeccable timing, and in Karam, this particular comedic effort lands awkwardly in the middle of a tense mission to dismantle a human trafficking ring, making it completely ineffective.
These ill-placed comedic moments in the film’s final act, interspersed with scenes of brutal attacks and the harrowing plight of trafficking victims, ironically emerge as some of the movie’s brighter spots when compared to the rest of its uninspired narrative. It feels as if the filmmakers prioritized their desire to shoot a generic action film in a Western city, neglecting to invest much thought into the story or screenplay, which is burdened by predictability and a sense of déjà vu.
Karam (Malayalam)
One only needs to recall Vineeth’s own Thira (2013), which also tackled human trafficking, but boasted a more robust screenplay and the compelling presence of Shobhana in the lead, giving it significant emotional weight. In contrast, Noble Babu Thomas, who co-wrote and starred in the commendable Helen, adheres to familiar tropes in Karam, making no effort to introduce any narrative surprises. He also portrays the protagonist, Dev Mahendran, a down-on-his-luck ex-military man whose life has been marred by professional and personal setbacks. While he has seemingly moved on and built an idyllic family life, his past inevitably resurfaces.
Much of the action unfolds in the fictional city of Lenarco, somewhere in Georgia. When Dev’s path crosses with a local trafficking ring, he immediately reverts to ‘mission mode’ to save the day. The characters are often written mechanistically, serving merely as devices for action sequences, preventing any real emotional investment from the audience. The character arc of Sana (Audrey Miriam) makes a fleeting impression, but 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 later development could have been deeply poignant, yet it often veers into unintentional comedy. Baburaj’s portrayal of a bumbling goon might have found its place in a quirkier film, but it clashes with Karam’s otherwise dark tone. Such ill-fitting characters and unevenly distributed scenes throughout the narrative leave one wondering if the filmmakers themselves were uncertain about the movie’s intended tone. Even celebrated football manager Ivan Vukomanović is cast in a role that merely requires him to appear menacing, but his character ultimately fails to make an impact. The action sequences, lacking a compelling story to back them up, are merely passable.
Ultimately, Karam stands as a staid, emotionally barren film about human trafficking that tragically offers nothing new to the conversation.
Karam is currently running in theatres.