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Star Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Lijomol Jose, Siddique
Director: Kiran Das
What’s Good: Kunchacko Boban’s Performance and Core Idea
What’s Bad: The Screenplay and Climax
Loo Break: Whenever you want
Watch or Not?: If you have some free time, no harm in watching once
Language: Malayalam
Available On: Sony LIV
Runtime: 162 Minutes
User Rating:
Malayalam actor Kunchacko Boban has been lauded for his script choices in his 2.0 phase in the film industry. No doubt that he picks up some interesting scripts with unique ideas and thoughts. This is also a fact that the Malayalam film industry is known for! In line with that, Unmadham also has an intriguing idea, but it never completely lands in a convincing manner.
The term Unmadham means madness, insanity, or some kind of uncontrolled emotional excitement. Kunchacko Boban’s character, Shelly, experiences those emotions, and he delivers his part. It also marks the directorial debut of Kiran Das, who has previously worked as an editor on some of Malayalam cinema’s finest works. But in his directorial debut, his editing seems to have taken a back seat.
The Malayalam film has a strong core idea, but the problem lies in its execution. The performances are strong, and the setup is working as well. But somehow, the pieces fail to find their path and never reach their destination.
Unmadham Movie Review: Script Analysis
The film centers around Shelly (Kunchacko Boban), who is passionate about entering the film industry as a scriptwriter. We see him take a year-long sabbatical from his job as a police officer to focus on his writing. The film opens with his script getting rejected. He is not a bad writer, but he does not have a story that works. A filmmaker suggests that he write a police drama as he is an officer himself and can come up with an interesting story.
Dejected by rejections in the film industry, he almost gives up. On the insistence of his wife (Lijomol Jose), he goes back to police duty to earn bread and butter for the family. However, soon after he returns to duty, an incident occurs, resulting in a punishment transfer. The police station he goes to has an eerie cold case file lying in the cupboard. However, it is cursed, and he learns that anyone who touches the case file suffers physical injury or loses their mind. However, Shelly does not believe in it and instead looks at it as an opportunity to write his script. The director he pitches the idea to approves it.
With his passion for cinema, Shelly secretly begins investigating the case. However, he soon spirals and loses his mind as he delves deeper into the investigation. Does he solve the case? Will he finally fulfill his dream of becoming a film writer and take his family out of poverty? Or does he lose his sanity and life in the course?
Unmadham Movie Review: Star Performance
When it comes to performances, Kunchacko Boban is the star of the film. The senior actor beautifully portrays a man who is disappointed by rejections yet finds renewed motivation when he takes on a new case. However, his performance shines through in the second half of the film, as he begins to lose his sanity as the case progresses. His performance is one of the things that holds on even as the story drags in parts.
Lijomol Jose brings a very contrasting energy as a wife frustrated by her husband’s obsession with films. We see her portray the strength of a family, and the actress shines in the moments available to her. Special mention to Raina Radhakrishnan, who plays the victim, Keerthana, in the film. With minimal dialogues, Raina put up quite an impressive and impactful act as she ghost-helps Shelly.
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Unmadham Movie Review: Direction, Music
Kiran Das made his directorial debut with Unmadham. He is a noted film editor who has worked on some brilliant films. However, when it came to editing his first directorial, his editing skills seemed to have taken a back seat. As mentioned earlier, the film has a strong core idea about an aspiring writer investigating a case for his material. The superstition and the mental health angle also play well. However, towards the end, the film seems to struggle to find a conclusion, and everything comes together way too conveniently. With the narrative set up around the superstition that Shelly does not initially believe in and being diagnosed with a mental health condition, one would expect the climax to have a more logical conclusion. However, the makers opt for the ghost angle without much in the way of logical explanation.
I was hoping the climax would have a strong reason for the protagonist cracking the last leg of the case. An explanation on the lines of Sanjay Dutt’s ailment in Lage Raho Munnabhai when he sees Gandhi ji.
However, after a good setup, the film largely seems to be attempting to find its footing. The screenplay also feels weak in the second half and cannot hold the audience’s attention.
The music of Unmadham is nothing much to talk about and largely serves the purpose of creating intrigue when needed.
Unmadham Movie Review: The Last Word
I don’t know much about the cursed file in the film, but the film surely suffered from the curse of the second half. Despite a strong setup and a nice core idea, the film fails to occupy the audience’s attention with its narrative. Interestingly, the film’s opening includes a review of Unmadham. At one point, a director, while giving Shelly feedback, tells him that he is a good writer and that his characters are well fleshed out, but the story falls short. Unmadham, itself, can somewhat be qualified for this feedback.
2.5 Stars!
Unmadham Trailer
Unmadham starts streaming on Sony LIV from 04th September, 2026.
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