Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira Review: A Dream That Forgot Reality And Audience?
Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira (OKCK) had the raw material to become Malayalam cinema’s La La Land – a visually rich, thematically potent exploration of dreams, disillusionment, and the tug-of-war between idealism and reality. Directed by Althaf Salim and featuring a strong cast led by Fahadh Faasil, Kalyani Priyadarshan, and supported by Revathi Pillai, Lal, Vinay Forrt, and Anuraj, the film sets out to explore some complex psychological and emotional terrain, but, unfortunately, the much anticipated Fahadh movie stumbles badly – both in execution and storytelling clarity – and never quite rises from the gorge it falls into by the end of its uneven first half.
Much like La La Land, OKCK opens with characters lost in their own fantasies, or in their dreams to be exact. Fahadh Faasil’s protagonist embodies an individual with little grasp of the depth or demands of reality. He seems content floating in the bubble of possibility and imaginary victories. Kalyani’s character, on the other hand, is rooted in a deep search for meaning – someone who is aware of her dreams, but also struggles under the weight of her own expectations and the harshness of real life, in fact, both of the protagonists are searching for the meaning of their dreams.
Read Also: “Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira” Trailer Out: Fahadh & Kalyani Bring Chaos, Colour, & Comedy
The film, at its best, tries to chart the course of what happens when such personalities meet. Instead of a love story blooming into shared hope, their collision shows us the danger of clinging too tightly to idealistic dreams without confronting reality. This is a compelling premise, and if developed with consistency and care, could have mirrored the emotional resonance of La La Land’s ending – where the viewer leaves his seat with an experience, rather than bundle of scenes arranged as a movie.
In its second half, Althaf Salim attempts to shift gears and go deeper. The film brings in themes of mental health, identity, and how fragile people deal with relationships in a world that offers little emotional clarity. The characters, though deeply flawed, could have been written as vessels through which the audience confronts their own internal battles – between delusion and truth, vulnerability and performance.
Read Also: Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira: Fahadh–Kalyani Starrer Gets Mixed Social Media Reactions
Sadly, this potential is left mostly untapped. The screenplay doesn’t offer a stable narrative framework to support these themes. The shift in tone is abrupt. What could have been a transition into a layered, emotionally honest second act becomes a clunky, incoherent mess. The treatment of mental health feels superficial and almost exploitative – used more for plot movement than as an authentic subject.
The introduction of the film plays intriguingly with the idea that not a single character seems mentally “stable.” It hints at a world steeped in magical realism, one where logic bends and internal truths shape the external world. That thread is promising. It prepares the viewer for a fantastical, maybe even poetic, experience – something akin to the world-building brilliance of La La Land’s musical flourishes and theatrical transitions.
However, the screenplay quickly loses continuity. The film veers off into underdeveloped subplots, flat emotional beats, and ultimately leaves the audience wandering aimlessly, much like its characters. If Salim had invested more time into structuring the narrative around his character arcs, this might have been a brave, unique experiment in Malayalam cinema.
Despite the failings of the script, the performances largely hold up. Fahadh Faasil delivers a committed performance, portraying a character who might have seemed cartoonish in lesser hands. Lal, Vinay Forrt, and Revathi Pillai are equally dependable. The same cannot be said for Kalyani Priyadarshan, whose performance lacks depth and emotional engagement, flattening what could have been a deeply resonant role.
Read Also: Fahadh Faasil Dances To Aavesham Hook Step, Video From College Promotion Of ‘OKCK’ Goes Viral
Technically, OKCK boasts impressive music and cinematography. The visual tone often compensates for the narrative weaknesses, and the score succeeds in capturing the emotional dissonance the film aims for – even if the writing doesn’t deliver.
Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira is a film about dreams – but ironically, it fails because it follows its own dream too blindly. It aims high, attempts to pack in psychological depth, magical realism, and emotional complexity – but forgets to build the foundation required to hold it all together. It had the story, the cast, and the creative ambition to be Malayalam’s La La Land, but ultimately serves as a cautionary tale: without clarity, consistency, and emotional truth, even the most imaginative dreams can fall flat in reality.
