Kishkindha Kaandam is a suspenseful drama in which the jungle hides tragic secrets. This mysterious tale starts with a simple story about a lost handgun from a house near a forest.
But as this intriguing story progresses, we learn that the members of that remote house and the monkeys of the nearby Jungle were hiding many painful secrets.
“Kishkindha Kaandam” – The Jungle Hides Tragic Secrets & The Family Wishes To Forget The Tragedy & Move On
Spoiler Free Review of the Kishkindha Kaandam (2024) Movie
The trailers
The storyline
In the vicinity of a monkey-overrun Jungle (forest) area, the newlyweds Ajayan Chandran (Asif Ali) and his new spouse Aparna (Aparna Balamurali) become unsettling. Aparna uncovers her father-in-law’s hidden secrets and his obsession with finding a lost pistol, while they are living in big but a remote house near the forest area in Kerala.
Her father-in-law is a widowed elderly ex-soldier Appu Pillai (Vijayaraghavan). Curiously, Appu Pillai conceals his cognitive challenges from those around him, including family and the local community he interacts with regularly. Meanwhile, his son Ajayan Chandran’s new spouse Aparna becomes intrigued by her father-in-law’s eccentric behaviour and unconventional ways of dealing with situations.
At the same time, a series of odd happenings transpire in that monkey-inhabited village, compelling a newlywed couple and forest officials to launch an inquiry into the origins of these unusual disturbances. As she seeks to understand more, she uncovers the mystery of her husband’s missing child from a previous relationship.
In a strange and suspenseful way, this movie delves into the concealed realities that lie beneath the surface of the seemingly mundane existences of ordinary folks.
A brief note about the movie title
Kishkindha Kandam (കിഷ്കിന്ധാ കാണ്ഡം) movie title takes its name from a section of the Ramayana, a revered Hindu mythological epic. Kishkindha is one of the chapters that focus on “The Vanaras” tales. In that epic tale, the Vanara means monkeys or similar forest primates of the ape family group, who assisted Lord Rama in a war against the Ravana.
Similarly, in this Malayalam movie from India, the monkeys play an important role in building up and sustaining the suspense and mystery of this tragic family drama. Furthermore, the translated meaning of the Malayalam movie title “Kishkindha Kandam” means “Kishkindha Stem”. Perhaps, this title also refers to the importance of the Family Tree/Stem in India.
It is a Tale of Three Wise Monkeys
The movie’s tagline “A Tale of Three Wise Monkeys” is really smart and insightful. It is worth noting that actually, the 3 key characters mentioned above are the 3 wise monkeys.
As you start watching this smart and mysterious suspense thriller drama, you realize that its story hides some troubling incident (s) from the past. And somehow Appu and Ajayan are suppressing the truths from coming out in the open. But then the arrival of Aparna changes the finely tuned family dynamics. Not knowing the devastating secrets of her new family members, Aparna leaves no stone unturned to get to the bottom of what went wrong. But the big question is finally what will happen when the destructive truth comes out?
All three leading cast members are too good
It is not a typical Indian masala movie with a song-and-dance routine. Moreover, there are no fight scenes and action sequences. In this drama, Vijayaraghavan (Appu Pillai) portrays an elderly man dealing with cognitive difficulties with honesty and conviction. In the movie, Appu is an army veteran, who is a firm patriarch and tough disciplinarian of his family.
Asif Ali (Ajayan Chandran) plays his loving and respectful son flawlessly. Recently, we reviewed Asif Ali’s Thalavan and Level Cross movies. And as expected, Asif Ali excelled in different kinds of roles. In this family drama too he has put on show his amazing versatility in acting. Strangely, Aparna Balamurali (Aparna) plays the role of provocateur and catalyst quite well. We liked her portrayal of the inquisitive personality. Despite Aparna’s ice-cool demeanour, she does not like to hold back and seek the truth at all costs.
The rating
| FM Rating | 4.00/5 |
The conclusion
We loved the ideas of family bonds and selective memories. Last but not least the writer Bahul Ramesh and director Dinjith Ayyathan deserve praise for giving us a captivating film.
The poster of the suspenseful Malayalam movie from Kerala, India
Key details about the suspenseful Malayalam movie from Kerala, India
| Genre | Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller |
| Original language | Malayalam |
| Dubbed languages | Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada |
| Duration | Original Movie:- 2 hours 13 minutes Dubbed Movie:- 2 hours 3 minutes |
| Writer | Bahul Ramesh |
| Director | Dinjith Ayyathan |
| Cast | Asif Ali (Ajayan Chandran), Aparna Balamurali (Aparna), Vijayaraghavan (Appu Pillai), Ashokan (Sivadasan), Nizhalgal Ravi (Doctor), etc. |
| Tagline | A tale of three wise monkeys |
| Network | Disney+ Hotstar |
Posters, Featured and Other Images of the Kishkindha Kaandam (2024) Movie are credited to Disney+ Hotstar.