‘Karam’ Movie Review: Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Bold Genre Shift Is a Misfire Including Noble Babu Thomas’s Lead Act (LatestLY Exclusive)

Karam Movie Review: Vineeth Sreenivasan’s second directorial, Thira, always stood out as an anomaly in the multi-faceted filmmaker’s career. Not only did the song-less thriller feel like an unusual choice to launch his younger brother Dhyan’s acting career, but it also seemed like Vineeth’s attempt to prove he could do more than just feel-good dramas. Yet, despite its gripping premise and Shobana’s excellent performance, Thira underperformed, and Vineeth soon returned to the kind of warm, melodic films that worked wonders at the box office - until Karam happened. ‘Karam’ Movie Review: Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Action-Thriller Misses the Mark Despite Stylish Treatment, Say Critics.

While Vineeth’s films have generally performed well, titles like Hridayam and Varshangalkku Sesham - coincidentally both starring Pranav Mohanlal and Kalyani Priyadarshan - began drawing flak from some fans. The common accusation? Vineeth’s ‘Chennai obsession’ and penchant for frothy nostalgia, which some began to call ‘cringe’. Enter Karam, an action thriller set in a foreign land, stripped of nostalgic sentimentality - a film seemingly designed to make you miss Chennai and thair saadam, insteaded of the cluttered sandwich that is served here.

'Karam' Movie Review - The Plot

Like Thira, Karam centres on the grim subject of human trafficking. The story follows Dev Mahendran (Noble Babu Thomas), a former army man court-martialled for defying orders years ago. While vacationing abroad with his wife Thara (Reshma Sebastian) and their young son in the fictional country of Lenarco, Dev shockingly encounters Sana (Audrey Miriam Henest), his former girlfriend, now working as a prostitute in an underground club.

Watch the Trailer of 'Karam':

Dev discovers that Sana is a victim of a trafficking ring run by the menacing André Nicola (played by Serbian footballer and Kerala Blasters head coach Ivan Vukomanović). With his wife’s support and help from their local guide Kamal Muhammed (Kalabhavan Shajohn), Dev embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue Sana, risking everything to take on a gang with deep-rooted connections in a foreign land.

'Karam' Movie Review - Decent Subject, Lacklustre Plotting

If Thira was ambitious for setting its story within the span of a single day, Karam stakes its ambition on its international setting. For Vineeth, this was clearly a creative challenge - a break from the comfort of breezy, musical dramas. But just because the project is exciting for the filmmaker doesn’t mean it will resonate with audiences. Fans of the genre have already seen a glut of such thrillers since Liam Neeson’s Taken turned him into an ageing action hero in 2008.

Despite its fresh backdrop, Karam struggles to rise above clichés. Vineeth’s direction occasionally brings flair, particularly in the first half when Dev meets Sana and tries to free her, but the film never truly pushes the envelope. The action scenes are serviceable at best, with no more than three engaging set pieces, and much of the tension is undercut by uneven writing.

Noble Babu Thomas, who also penned the screenplay, does a decent job in the action sequences but falters in the emotional beats. When Sana recounts her harrowing past, his reactions feel stiff, as if he is trying to figure out what the right emotion is to be shown there. His screenplay itself offers few surprises. Unless you count a likeable supporting character surviving the film despite having a 'dead meat' sign hovering over his head.

Vineeth does handle the first half well, particularly the sequences following Dev’s encounter with Sana and his attempts to rescue her. However, the director struggles to conceal the screenplay’s weaknesses. Opening with an action sequence - Dev and a fellow soldier fleeing militants - was clearly meant to impress, wanting to show Vineeth could stage action in the same manner as creating a lovable bond between the two male friends with a slightly homoerotic vibe. Instead, what we get is a passable chase and shootout scene with clunky editing where no one is serious about the stakes, and the result feels disappointingly ordinary.

Sana’s tragic circumstances are portrayed with sensitivity, and Audrey Miriam Henest delivers a strong performance. But the circumstances that bring her to Lenarco feel contrived - paralysis and a disapproving father (Johny Anthony) are thrown in almost mechanically. Even Dev’s sudden revelation to his wife about Sana years into their marriage feels like a plot contrivance, a convenient way to explain to the audience his personal stake in rescuing her a few scenes later. Did he really need such a forced flashback to justify saving a victim of trafficking? Thankam Movie Review: Vineeth Sreenivasan-Biju Menon's Film is an Absorbing Investigative Thriller For Most of Its Parts.

Convenience frequently drives the plot. Dev struggles to overpower a single henchman in one scene, and he only barely manages to do so because the opponent suffers an asthma attack, yet later becomes almost unstoppable, mowing down foes with ease. The fight in the hideout where the victims are kept, which includes a kitchen-set battle, could have been exhilarating but is marred by choppy editing. Jomon T John's visuals certainly gives Karam a glossy look, but Shaan Rahman's BG score doesn't elevate the punch, more so it gives the same feel-good vibe of Hridayam. That's not what you want here.

'Karam' Movie Review - Ill-Timed Humour

Perhaps the screenplay’s biggest flaw is its ill-timed humour. A moment where Dev outsmarts a Serbian thug using a Dolo 650 tablet feels bizarrely comedic for such a tense scenario. I am half-hoping that Vineeth was forced to add that scene there in some sort of product placement, but that's not the only piece of misplaced humour in the film. Baburaj’s Rosario, the Malayali member of the trafficking ring, is written primarily for laughs. While Baburaj’s delivery is undeniably funny, the comedy feels wildly out of place, deflating the urgency of the narrative.

Even key subplots feel forced. Manoj K Jayan and Shweta Menon’s characters serve as a convenient Chekhov’s Gun, while a scene where a character awkwardly declares himself an ex-boyfriend of a cabinet minister feels more embarrassing than humorous. Varshangalkku Shesham Movie Review: Pranav Mohanlal-Dhyan Sreenivasan's Film is Solely For Feel-Good Enthusiasts With an Enjoyable Nivin Pauly Cameo.

Ivan Vukomanović lends André Nicola a quiet menace but remains underutilised. Vishnu G Varrier stands out as the loathsome Bato, while local actors portraying the henchmen add texture. Reshma Sebastian is affable as Thara, but her character is given little to do beyond supporting her husband and shows little ingenuity when on the run. Kalabhavan Shajohn is reliably solid and even gets a crowd-pleasing moment in the climax.

'Karam' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Karam is a bold experiment for Vineeth Sreenivasan, a filmmaker successfully associated with sentimental crowd-pleasers, just not so much for the audience. Ambition alone cannot save a film weighed down by a predictable script, uneven tone, and misplaced humour. While it aims to be different in the director's filmography (and it does), Karam never fully becomes the tense, high-stakes action thriller it aspires to be. The film is streaming on Manorama Max.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 07, 2025 01:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).