Would that mean the film is a tale of two distinct halves? No, not at all. The concern, though, arises with the approach that the writer and the director take as they come off a little unwilling to “up the ante”. Despite all the fun and adventure, it starts to feel like Anweshippin Kandethum is dangling in a tentative position as it refrains from being neither a full-blown docu./investigation drama, nor a deep character study. It has all the scope to head in the direction of the latter but even when you welcome the decision to not do so, the eventual outcome isn’t as, for the lack of a better term, thrilling as before. The climax or the resolution, too, seems a little convenient and that Feluda reference — of the story now belonging to a different era of suspense-writing — becomes more apparent at this point.
Still, Anweshippin Kandethum is a solid thriller that’s worth our time. No doubt that the essence or crux of this film has been found and felt in multiple other outings of this (now-done-to-death) genre but Darwin Kuriakose’s gaze is a distinct one. Not only does he imbue his world with a lot of uncertainty and anticipation, but he does the job with a lot of originality. Aside from the exquisite camera work, colour grading, background score, etc. Saiju Sreedharan’s editing is another great contributor to the overall experience – and that’s exactly where the film scores the highest, on the merit of some superb technicians who know how to take a regular to a whole new level. Alongside, it’s a film that relies largely on its splendid ensemble cast led by an in-form Tovino Thomas and makes everything work because they are all just so good.