Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakkeel DVD

Dileep popularly called Janapriyanayakan (people’s favourite actor) has come with his first movie in 2019, Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakkeel. 

Dileep has always preferred characters that are already known to the general masses. For example the clown in Joker, hunchback in Kunjikkoonan, village simpleton in Chakkaramuth or the kind-hearted man with a deformity in Thoma, he picks up an already popular character and gives it his on twist. This, of course, in addition to the countless elder brothers and romantic heroes he has played over the years.

This time, he is back in an advocate’s robe, his second after Adv. Nandan Menon in 2009 flick Passenger. His Balakrishnan aka Balan stands out from the rest of the community because of a serious speech disability. To his surprise, he lands a case that doesn’t require him utter a single word. However, things take a different turn in the courtroom.He is being mocked and laughed at. He never retracts though. Proceedings get intensified after this and Balan and his love interest Anuradha (Mamtha Mohandas) run into troubles they never saw coming. Director B Unnikrishnan, who has some acclaimed thrillers in his repertoire, has shown faith in his own script which screams of stereotypes and down to death plots. As a result--a damsel in distress, a superhero from nowhere, victimization just for the sake of it, heartless villainy, and triumph over the evil-- are all woven into a tale of 155-minutes.The dialogues for the hero with limited speaking abilities are carefully written. He mostly has to convey through expressions and gestures. However, the script shines when it introduces a flashback on the reason behind Dileep’s speech issues.

Compared to his last two movies, Ramaleelaand Kammara Sambhavam, where he went on to try the political genre, Dileep is finally back to his ‘boy-next-door’ avatar. He handles Balan Vakkeel (advocate Balan) with restraint and sensibility.

Aju Varghese plays an indispensable side-kick who excels in comic scenes. Siddhique appears refreshing as a modern father, something his filmography was missing for a long time. 

Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakkeel blends all the right ingredients of populist cinema and emerges victorious. 

Rating: 3.5/5