Online is about how the pain of loss and his discomfort with humans bring him back through an unexpected accident.
Anilkumar (Fahad Basil), an electrical appliance repairman, lives with his mother in a hill village in Kerala. As it is a rainy season, people are advised by the government to evacuate and stay in camps. Anikuttan, who refuses to go to the camp thinking it is just a fearful association, gets trapped in a landslide.
How he recovers from it and what happens to those trapped along with him is the story of the film. When reading this, it may seem like a very ordinary story. From time to time, Malayalam directors have been threatening with human emotions by keeping such a simple line. Another film currently in that line-up is ‘Malayankunju’.
Fahadh Basil as Anilkumar. Decomposing objects around, stuck feet, hands should be used to transmit pain, agony and fear only from the face. He delivers a monster performance that perfectly captures everything from the eyes and face and drags us into that pit. His menagedal for that is not so easy!
The entire film is well-received by his performance. Besides, Rajisha Vijayan, Indrans, Zafar Idukki and others come and go.
It is a life that revolves regularly like a roller coaster. When it is presented to the audience, it is sure to cause boredom. Writing is the savior from that boredom. Mahesh Narayanan’s writing leaves you nowhere for that lethargy. The delightful aspects of that life and Anikuttan’s character structure never let us off the screen so easily.
In fact, the writing of most Malayalam movies is commendable. In an environment where other cinemas like Pan India, Sarithar Kathi, Gangster are looking for guns, there they are creating the world of reality with the pen. That world is a region where ordinary people like us roam. In particular, writing that binds human feelings has more weight. That’s how Mahesh Narayanan has written this film. He has threatened in the cinematography as well. Sajimon, who was the assistant director of ‘Android Gunchappan’, has directed the film.
As mentioned earlier, the first half of the film is slow, but it didn’t affect us in any way. Instead, it turns into moments of understanding about the hero. A child’s cry which irritates the hero in the first half, the same child’s cry in the second half does not disturb him. The gap between these two is the whole picture.
Landslides are simply a layer overlaid on the senses, whose purpose is only the changes of everyday minds. In some places it is presented as a poem. In many places only the music speaks. There the verses are silent so it is easy to stick to the screen.
The art direction work in the film is phenomenal. Behind the scenes you can feel the enormous work of the team involved. Keep only a torch and record the happenings inside the burial pit. Mahesh Narayanan has given the same effort as Fahad. AR Rahman’s music adds weight to the pain. The song at the end sends us into meltdown. Whatever biryani is eaten, the song sticks to the entire mind like the taste of the sweet eaten at the end sticks to the tongue.
Malayalam films give an opportunity to watch rather than write. ‘Malayankunju’ is such a film. On the downside, though not huge, there are some scenes that are hard to believe. It seems that the scenes of fighting in the landslide could have been trimmed a bit more.
All in all, ‘Malayan Gunju’ is not a film that makes you understand. Rather, it is a work with excellent screenplay to be watched and enjoyed.