Kanal (2015 film)

Kanal
Theatrical release poster
Malayalam: കനൽ
Directed by	M. Padmakumar
Produced by	Abraham Mathew
Screenplay by	S. Suresh Babu
Starring	Mohanlal Anoop Menon Atul Kulkarni Pratap Pothan Honey Rose Nikita Thukral Sheelu Abraham
Narrated by	Prithviraj Sukumaran
Music by	Songs: Ouseppachan Vinu Thomas Background Score: Ouseppachan
Cinematography	Vinod Illampally
Edited by	Ranjan Abraham
Production company	Abaam Movies Aashirvad Cinemas
Distributed by	Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments (India)
Release date	22 October 2015 (2015-10-22) (India)
Running time	158 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Kanal (English: Ember) is a 2015 Indian Malayalam thriller-road movie, directed by M. Padmakumar. Starring Mohanlal, Anoop Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Pratap Pothan, Honey Rose, Sheelu Abraham and Nikita Thukral. The film was produced by Abaam Movies in association with Aashirvad Cinemas. Ouseppachan and Vinu Thomas composed the soundtrack. Mohanlal, Padmakumar and writer Suresh Babu joined together for the second time since the 2010 film Shikkar. The principal photography commenced in May 2015 in Kochi and completed in August 2015. Kochi, Hyderabad, Karwar, Goa and Qatar were the filming locations. The film gained mixed to positive critical response.

The story is set against the backdrop of global phenomenon "recession" in United Arab Emirates, a time when economic collapse were being felt. The story revolves around a thriller - revenge plot that has resulted as an aftereffect of recession. The story explores the basic nature of cruelty and love in human nature through the lives of four individuals John David (Mohanlal), Anantharaman (Anoop Menon), Raghuchandran (Pratap Pothan) and Kuruvila Mathew (Atul Kulkarni).

The film was officially announced at the end of January 2015, which was said to be a revenge-thriller genre story revolving around two individuals with revengeful mind. Mohanlal, Padmakumar and Suresh Babu were collaborating for the second time after Shikkar (2010) which was also a revenge-thriller. In the beginning of February 2015, M. Padmakumar said to The Times of India, that he want to shoot the movie in a realistic way, "Kanal revolves around two people who are stuck in Dubai, affected by the recession, and are now back to God's Own Country. The two don't share a similar lifestyle and have had different experiences in Dubai. What happens after they meet in Kerala forms the plot of the story". The filming was then said to start in August 2015. In May 2015, Padmakumar further explained about the subject, "The story unfolds during a train journey. Two unknown people meet in the train and how this journey changes their lives forms the plot." According to Padmakumar, about Mohanlal's character, "There will be multiple variations in his get-up as the movie will capture three to four stages of his life". The film is marketed with the tagline "Every end has an old beginning".