Synopsis - Archaeologist Prasad (Vineeth) visits Wayanad for a research purpose where he meets his ex flame, Bhanu (Bhavana) & her husband, Gopinatha Menon (Indrajith).
Script - I heard that the film's script is a rework of "Evideyo Oru Shathru" which was written early 80s by M T Vasudevan Nair. If that is true, you need to stand up and applaud this man for setting up a film which can stay long for more than 3 decades. The film carries a similar mood of "The Ghost & The Darkness" which was released during mid 90s. The biggest highlight of the script is that we are unable to give a genre to the film. Whatever genre you put this movie under, you feel it is incomplete.
M T Vasudevan Nair takes you to the familiar terrain of the tribal inhabitants if the Wayanad forest. This time he focuses on the emotional attachment between them and the surrounding environment and send out a strange for the people from the outside world. The strength of the movie is the well etched out characters and the relationship they share among them. This is tough for me to express via words but this sets the key role in the movie. Now those who have seen Panchagni,Aaranyakam etc etc might recall the feel provided the lead characters and the environment as well as other issues. M T, in his usual style, doesn't opt for a spoon feeding detailing where you expect him to give a reason for every action of the characters or the myth. Some do carry an underlying message which you need to dig out while sitting through the experience. This is where the sensibility of the audience will be tested. M T details the law of the nature according to the tribes and how the current generation decrypts it in their own way. Checkout the "Lighter Scene" to understand the brilliance of this man. He really don't need dialogues to convey the impact of that scene. Just a shot!. The film carries some really touching moment where one of my favourite scene was Mamukoya's dialogue to Vineeth and Calf while tying it as a bait. A scene which I was particularly impressed was the conversation between Prasad & Bhanu regarding their past. Normally it will be a flawed scene and thus negatively affects the experience. But when M T deals with such scenes, you feel a certain level of maturity and realism. Finally he ends the experience with a climax that is one of the best in recent times. I am not claiming the whole scene is unpredictable but this displays the sketch of each character. As expected, M T Vasudevan Nair is in full form with the dialogues according to the backdrop of each character. On a negative note, M T still can't get out of the hangover of the Landlord's attitude towards the tribal people which was seen in Panchagni and Aaranyakam. Maybe it is still a relevant issue.
Direction - Hariharan seems to be at his best after Pazhashiraja. His visual sense was outstanding and the way he captured some picturesque shots makes us feel that he is way better than the new generation stylish directors. Also he was able to convey the mood through each frame with a steady narration. The pacing of the film was sharp. The only flaw might be the way he executed the climax scene. The idea was good but it should have been handled on a better note so that it could maintained the huge standards possessed by the experience.
Cast & Performance - Vineeth finally got his comeback vehicle through this movie as the lead character. He done full justice to his role and thus justified Hariharan's choice. Narein will be surely bitterly regretting for losing out such a meaty character. While Indrajith was in full form as the grey shaded Gopinatha Menon. His tyranny is the highlight and it is evident that M T Vasudevan Nair wrote this character for his dad. Kavitha,eventhough shown signs of inexperience (especially during the lip syncing of song), did a pretty fine job as Mala while Bhavana somehow couldn't give complete justice to her role. Mamukoya as Nagu was brilliant as usual. Suresh Krishna,Nandhu,Kootikal Jayachandran & Captain Raju lend their presence through small roles and cameo.
The Australian team has done an exemplary work with the choreography of the Tiger. Also the editing and graphic work has synced with frames exquisitely.
Songs & Background Score - Hariharan again!!! "Ee Nilavain.." sung by Dr K J Yesudas is a beautiful melody to capture the college days of Prasad & Bhanu. "Kaadupoothe..." sung by Chitra was used to depict the Prasad's exploration through the forest along with Mala while "Kuppi Vala.." is a marriage song of the tribes. Deepak Dev's background score was simply terrific especially the theme played during the scenes featuring the Tiger.
Technical Expertise - Veteran S Kumar's work, for me, is the best work of this year as cinematographer. I believe that conveys how superlative his work was. Bavan Sreekumar' editing was topnotch and thus helped a seamless narration. The art direction team has done a fine job with detailing while Tapas Nayak's sound designing is another major highlight. The make up and costume department has supported the movie with their work.
Bottomline - Emotionally Powerful....As Hariharan said --> "This movie will not disappoint you". Yes!! It didn't disappoint me and M T Vasudevan Nair is the Star!!!
Ratings --> 8.5/10
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