For almost the entirety of Kaathirippu, the protagonist David, played by Jitheesh Raichel Samuel, is repairing what appears to be a radio — tightening its screws, setting its parts into grooves, cautiously mending a once-functional machine. David’s workshop is filled with trinkets like these, which may have once been deemed working. He devotes his days to restoration. But the real question is, can everything be fixed, or are some things beyond repair?
Soon, he encounters Anoop, played by Renju Thadikkaran, who mistakenly enters David’s house, hoping to stay the night there while he waits for his friend. David kicks him out at first, only to bring Renju back to his home. Gradually, the duo gets to know each other, revealing more details about David’s past and identity.
Kaathirippu, written and directed by Nipin Narayanan, premiered at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in the Malayalam Cinema Today category.
The 83-minute film is set in a single location and features only two characters, with the plot advancing through their engaging conversation. Each dialogue and action reveals something new about the protagonist, who maintains an air of mystery.
The dilapidated state of the setting, shots of slimy slugs, leaky taps, and squeaky chairs, express a visual of alluring disarray — gradually building the suspense.
The film raises questions about what’s right and wrong, and how humans tend to decide for themselves what is morally correct, while simultaneously creating narratives that suit their moral position. Kaathirippu explores an unending wait for consequences to one’s actions, as the anticipation itself becoming retribution.
A dream come true
The film begins with a text, “We dreamed of making a film, and we made one.”, underlining a collective vision which came to fruition. “It is a dream all of us crew members saw individually, and it became a collective dream when we came together,” says Nipin, who completed a postgraduate diploma in direction and screenplay writing from K R Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts (KRNNIVSA), Kottayam, in 2016.
Jitheesh Raichel Samuel, Renju Thadikkaran and Nipin Narayanan (below)
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The film’s crew mostly consists of KRNNIVSA alumni: Jitheesh and Renju completed a postgraduate diploma in acting from the college in 2016. Cinematographer Adharsh G Krishnan was part of the 2019 batch, and Febin K Thomas, who handled music, is a 2016 alumnus.
The crew, who has created multiple short film assignments at college, was confident of making a feature-length film without committing to a big budget. “We had the technicians to pull off the project. But the only problem was money. This forced us to think along the lines of limited characters and limited spacing,” says Nipin. “I was used to doing movies which had a thriller character, creating curiosity among the audience,” he adds.
“Initially, it was just one character in one space who faced troubles like anxiety. There was a lot to be fixed within him, but he didn’t know how to solve it. So, we introduced another character to help him. We have incorporated incidents we have heard from our circles, and events we have experienced, to the plot,” says Nipin, a cartoonist, author, and scriptwriter.
The maker says it was his goal to premiere his debut at IFFK, which he considers a platform for creators like him to find an audience. “We had started working on this film four months ago,” says Nipin, who has penned the script for Karakkam, which is set to release in January 2026.
Published – December 13, 2025 07:37 pm IST
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