Kishkindha Kaandam

Ajay has just married and moves with his wife Aparna into his father's large house at the edge of the forest. Appu Pillai, the father, is a retired officer losing his memory; he confuses dates, does not recognise people, and has made certain things into obsessions. There are licensed weapons in the house and his pistol goes missing. There is also the matter of a child who disappeared years ago, which nobody discusses. Aparna is new to the house, knows none of it, and starts asking. Dinjith Ayyathan directs. Bahul Ramesh wrote the screenplay and also shot it. Vijayaraghavan plays Appu Pillai, Asif Ali plays Ajay and Aparna Balamurali plays Aparna. The method is to withhold information not from the audience but from the characters. The narrative proceeds from Aparna's point of view and the viewer learns as she does. The title refers to the Kishkindha section of the Ramayana, the country of the monkeys. The monkeys around the house are both a real problem inside the narrative and a sign. Vijayaraghavan spent a long career mostly in supporting parts, and this performance became the most discussed work he has done. It counted among the most praised Malayalam films of 2024 and did far better commercially than expected. The same team made Eko a year later. Who it is for: viewers who like Malayalam mystery and slowly built family tension. Who it is not for: the first half is very slow, the information comes late, and the explanations at the end are too tidy for some.