Life Malayalam Movie
2014 kicks off with an obsessive love story titled 'Life', but one which could have done better with a bit more life in it. Leon K Thomas' film dwells on the flickering heart of a teenager that misinterprets an infatuation for love, and the terrible consequences that follow.
Sudhi (Niyaz), has the perfect family that anyone could dream of, and Meenakshi (Stephy Grace) is more than the perfect wife. The couple has a son, and when Meenakshi invites a highly meritorious, but poor student Leah (Deepthi), to live with them, trouble brews in the their heaven.
Leah, is no psycho, but an ordinary young girl on the verge of sexual self discovery. She falls head over heels in love with the immaculately handsome Sudhi, and though initially wary of her advances, the much married man soon gives in to her charms.
And thus the film emerges to be one of those movies where the husband gets caught between his devotion towards his ever loving wife and his insuppressible desire and longing for a new love that he had only recently discovered.
And as is characteristic of all these films, the supposedly erring pair venture out on a trail of no return, until there is nothing more to be done. Having run into a dead end, they search for ways out, and realize that there are very few.
What makes 'Life' disappointing is that there is nothing in it that we have not already seen in a film of this kind, where an erring husband takes a while to regain his senses. Everything follows the set pattern, and there are no deviations whatsoever, at any point.
The climax of the film, as is always the case in almost all such films, is an easy way out. When the trio caught in the crossfire has had it up to their necks, one of them has to pay the price. No prizes for guessing who that one would be, and there are no surprises in store here as well.
The dialogues are at times go terribly awry, and there are quite a few moments when you feel that it could have done better with more solidity. Technically, the film does not exhibit any excellence, and almost everything is quite run of the mill.
What is most impressive about the film 'Life' , are the decent performances from the leading pair - Stephy Grace and Niyaz. Stephy displays the remarkable poise of an accomplished actress, while Niyaz amply supports her with a restricted feat.
'Life' is a mundane tale of teenage obsession that we have already been through. The statements that it makes have already been made, and the voices in it have already been heard.
PS: The first release of the year is always considered a risky affair, and I hope 'Life' emerges a survivor. But the chances of it making through, are infinitesimally low.
MOVIE REVIEWS