sesht
Observations from multiple big-screen viewings, most of those without English sub-titles (important-enough factor, since I do not understand the nuances of the Malayalam language, the way a native speaker would).Had no idea about this when it released, other than the fact that it was a reunion of sorts for most of the talent in front of, and behind, 'Neram', which was okey-dokey, to say the best. Had no expectations going in, other than the promise of good music and visuals that the trailer promised. Well, the first viewing kinda blew my mind away, since I never thought that being short on content, from a high level perspective (Infatuated boys love, lose and love again, then lose again, and then almost love again - to put it mildly) could afford so many opportunities for some amazing writing, acting, visuals and scores. Every person in charge of his/her department absolutely excels, and in terms of style, this hearkens back to 'Iyobinte Pusthakam', regardless of the differing mileux and genres of both works. I've always been a proponent of content being king, but this one kinda screams for execution/style over all else, and I've bought into that stream of thought firmly after seeing how well this one has been brought to life. Among its many strengths, casting is key. With one actor having to evolve over the 3 phases of life that the movie focuses on, Nivin Pauly, and the actors playing his friends, need to look, sound and behave in an age-appropriate way in each of those phases, while being consistent with their age and state of mind within those. And boy do they nail it, with the 3 main leads, and assorted characters around them having their own individual criss-crossing arcs across those phases. Another one of its main strengths are all of the running jokes/gags (one of which is to do with spelling/grammar/structural mistakes in a letter professing teen love, that loops all the way until the end) across each of those phases, that is not left hanging at any time, and one of the main reasons for multiple viewings, where one can marvel at the effort that has been made across this work of art. The background score is one of the strongest ever committed to celluloid, hearkening back to last year's superb 'Ohm Shanthi Ohshaana' (trivia: the helmer on that one, Jude Anthany Joseph, makes a funny cameo in this one) being as strong in its scoring department. Shaan Rahman is not missed, with this one having Rajesh Murugesan doing the honors, as good as he was in Anthony Putheran's earlier 'Neram' (pun fully intended, if you understand the language). Technically speaking, though it might seem minor, this movie integrates CG almost seamlessly, and this generation's film-makers, especially the ones who do not place any weight or value on that aspect, and others, need to take a page out of this movie, and see how they can 'up' their overall game. Nivin Pauly has always been good, subtly taking over the characters he (literally/figuratively) inhabits in each of his flicks - '1983', 'Ohm Shanthi Ohshaana', 'Oru Vadakkan Selfie', 'Neram' and even 'Ivide', in which, I thought, his character got short shrift. In my first viewing of this though, I wasn't all gung-ho about all aspects of this flick as I am being now, with my criticisms spanning (my perceived, at the time) lack of new content and how the leads' family lives are kept to background/ignored altogether, even with strong casting on those supporting characters who are (unfairly, as I thought at the time) ignored (example: Renji Panicker, who plays Pauly's dad, who is fantastic in the 2 scenes he's in, but has nothing else to do). I don't feel as strongly about those aspects now, but thought I'd just put them out there.All in all, this one makes for multiple great viewings, especially among those who consider themselves students of the craft. And yes, great for mainstream audiences as well, which kinda explains its box office, as well as cementing cult status.
