Mosayile Kuthirameenukal Malayalam Movie
Ajith Pillai's 'Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal' is a simple, elemental tale of romance and sacrifice set on the dazzling islands of Lakshadweep that talks of the crazy things that people do in love. It shakes off the initial lethargy with finesse, and gains enough dramatic momentum eventually, that lets the viewer settle into a state of detached admiration.
Alex (Asif Ali) has had everything that a young man of his age could dream for, except perhaps a family. Having inherited a fortune from his dad, he indulges in a profligate existence till it lands him in some big trouble. Cooling his heels at the Central Jail, Alex repeatedly tries to squiggle out and is caught every time. Until finally, he drops into a drainage pipe and heads out into the world with an oddly evasive fellow for company.
This odd fisherman, named Ali (Sunny Wayne) has already set sail for the Lakshadweep islands, and would stop at nothing, till he meets Isa (Swathi Reddy), a marine biologist that he had fallen in love with. Alex is hot on his trail, and becomes almost inexplicably involved in the proceedings. The truth, that is gently unraveled, is a shocker of sorts, and Alex realizes that the swordfishes that ride the highest of waves are not as self-centric as they are often deemed to be.
Essentially 'Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal' remains as much a tale of love, as it is a tale of destiny. The film rapidly picks up in the latter half, and as the romance unfolds itself on the screen, everything else - which includes the peculiar slip-ups in the former half as well - fades into oblivion. Love, and only love prevails.
In an unusually arresting scene, Ali remarks that it's a fortune to be born in a magical land as the one he lives in. As he, along with Isa, watch the sun and the moon play hide and seek on the crimson sky, she unexpectedly pops the question that would at once, make and break his heart. Nature, in its most spectacular of moments, bears witness to his baffling predicament.
I wouldn't however say I was equally impressed with the way the other love tale turns out to be. Deena (Janani Iyer) has just been placed at the Kalpeni post office, and love doesn't exactly strike when she runs into Alex aboard the ship to Lakshadweep. Their frantic attempts to communicate with each other during the brief breathing sessions amidst all the puking creates a very special bond between the two. In a generous gesture, she offers him a tuft of her hair to smell, so that the sickness would stop once and for all.
It reaches a dead end right there, and though followed by a very short interlude afterwards, love still doesn't seem to be anywhere in the air. When Deena gets all vocal on the need to plant a smile on someone else's face, and a bit too philosophical, you hope that the digression wouldn't last too long. Thankfully it doesn't and the focus shifts back to where it should rightfully be.
Sunny Wayne does not shake any mountains with his portrayal of a man who forsakes everything for the woman he loves. But he is delightfully adequate and makes a charming pair with the striking Swathi Reddy. Asif Ali in his usual bubbly self is a bundle of energy and Janani Iyer looks gorgeous.
I have probably run short of praise for the exemplary cinematography of Abhinandan Ramanujam who has efficiently managed to make the lovely islands appear as a shimmering blue heaven. Add to it a delightful musical score by Prashant Pillai that seems to have set the right tunes and tones, and you could very well have a fine entertainer in your hands.
'Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal' is a likeable film in a breezy, low-key sort of way, and its sure to have its share of admirers. Surprisingly fresh, and on rare occasions even a bit insightful, it has its moments that easily and assertively overwrite its flaws.
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