'Kammattam' web-series review: Zee5's first original in Malayalam scores due to its performances

Cast: Sudev Nair, Jeo Baby, Vivya Santh, Akhil Kavalayoor, Sreerekha

Director: Shan Thulasidharan

Language: Malayalam 

There’s a new web series in the Malayalam language called Kammattam. What does this word mean? So after searching on the internet, one finds out that Kammattam or Kammittam is simply a mint where the metal currency is minted. But it has been also used later to denote a paper currency printing facility. So it’s evident that the show is going to be about money. It is a murder mystery related to a financial scam.

The series revolves around a shocking financial scam that unfolds in Thrissur. Sudev Nair plays the lead investigator who attempts to unravel the conspiracy and expose the truth behind the bank-linked crime. And as it happens with most of the shows, there is something very rich and dark about the visuals, which give it the mood of a whodunnit. There’s a dialogue in the show that says all our problems are because of money. It’s the first ever Zee Original in Malayalam.

More from Entertainment

Sivakarthikeyan and Vidyut Jammwal's 'Dil Madharasi' movie review: AR Murugadoss finally gets it right, even if in bits Netflix's ‘Inspector Zende’ Movie Review: Manoj Bajpayee shines in the role of real-life Inspector Madhukar Zende

It’s a series that’s inspired by true events and bathed in ordinariness. There central and supporting characters feel like real people who have experienced the world around them. Even the state of Kerala is stripped off its cinematic artifice that was very much evident in the recent Hindi release Param Sundari. Because beneath the gorgeousness of Kerala lies a gritty world that not too many would have the courage to experience. And actor Sudev Nair seems to be the right choice to play the central character given the authenticity he brings to his part. But that doesn’t mean Kammattam is perfect. Certainly not.

The landscape of streaming across the languages has produced never-ending murder mysteries and suspense dramas. Now how to stand out in a crowd of thousands that will soon turn into millions? But given how there are endless true events that get lost in the country’s pandemonium, there shouldn’t be a problem for the viewers to watch these whodunnits wrapped in different narratives and characters. One reason why Malayalam cinema clearly has an edge over others is how they are rooted to their culture. How they don’t attempt to please or cater to a wider audience or global success. Someone once truly said the more local you are, the more global you become.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

_Kammattam is n_ow streaming on Zee5