'Kalamkaval' review: Mammootty is show-stealer in uneven thriller
What's the story
The Malayalam crime thriller Kalamkaval, featuring Mollywood megastar Mammootty, arrived on SonyLIV on Friday. Originally released theatrically on December 5, the suspense-thriller is directed by Jithin K Jose. The film, which draws from the infamous Cyanide Mohan case, also stars Vinayakan, Rajisha Vijayan, and Malavika Menon. The fifth-highest-grossing Malayalam film of 2025, Kalamkaval is gritty and suspenseful, but feels overlong and uneven.
Plot
A cop tries to track down a dangerous serial killer
Set in the small town of Kottayikonam, Kalamkaval revolves around an intense police investigation. Mammootty plays Stanley Das, who lures numerous women on the pretext of marriage, rapes them, and eventually kills them with cyanide pills. SI Jayakrishnan (Vinayakan) is tasked with finding the killer and stopping the chain of brutal murders. Can he nab Stanley before it's too late?
#1
Jose presents his interpretation of the infamous case
The Cyanide Mohan case has long intrigued filmmakers across mediums and industries. Vijay Varma's Dahaad and Arshad Warsi-Jitendra Kumar's Bhagwat have previously explored the same concept. Now, Jose lends the subject his special touch. He slowly constructs Stanley's world; women around him come and go rapidly, but his remorseless, brutal killings remain the same.
#2
Mammootty's committed performance drives the film
Mammooty delivers a chilling performance in a tailor-made role. Stanley isn't much of a talker, so Mammootty's expressions do most of the heavy-lifting in this intense role. Killing is his second-nature, and he lies with such precision that he seldom gets caught. At 74, Mammootty continues to reinvent himself, as evident through Kalamkaval, Bramayugam, and Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, among his other recent projects.
#3
A sharper narrative could have helped the film
On the flip side, the cinematic liberties taken by Kalamkaval are too tough to digest, marring the experience. Plus, after a point, the movie begins to move in circles, and Jose doesn't realize he has lost our attention. The film is over two hours long, and a shorter runtime would have made it a lot more gripping and engaging.
Verdict
Doesn't realize its full potential, but still watchable; 3/5 stars
At one juncture, a character explains how some victims' families didn't search for them because they were of "marriageable age, widows, or divorced." This commentary on India's nauseatingly patriarchal society is among the most standout aspects. Overall, the film is worth-watching, but could have been far more compelling with sharper editing and more memorable, well-rounded characters. 3/5 stars.