Chirakodinja Kinavukal Malayalam Movie
Santhosh Viswanath's sparkling debutant film 'Chirakodinja Kinavukal' might appeal more to the experimental crowd, but does achieve the accolade of being a positively delightful movie that leaves a wide grin on your face. Sweet, charming and downright amusing, 'Chirakodinja Kinavukal' manages to rake in a fair amount of real laughs, all the while brimming with an inventive spirit that isn't that common in Malayalam cinema.
Ambujakshan (Sreenivasan) at long last gets to meet a director (Manoj K Jayan) and a producer (Sunil Sukhada) to narrate his story 'Chirakodinja Kinavukal', which he hopes would finally be made into a film. He declares that he has made a few changes to the script to meet the requirements of the new gen cinema, though the hero of his tale, the Thayyalkkaran (Kunchacko Boban) and his heroine Sumathi (Rima Kallingal) have not changed.
It becomes quite obvious right from its inception that 'Chirakodinja Kinavukal' does not intend to be a film that you are so familiar with. I'm sure this is one film that must have had quite a few of its viewers switch off their mobile phones, and as you jolt yourself from the initial surprise along comes a card of gratitude that brings in another round of applause.
Here is a film that is built on a wobbly base of cliches, and it isn't really quite easy to bring in the kind of mirth and jollity that 'Chirakodinja Kinavukal' succeeds in splashing across the screen. It does so without compromising on the entertainment quotient, and the first hour of the film is a cheery ride all right, with many an astonished spectator wondering what had hit them!
It's quite refreshing that the film has the pluck to take real names and make fun of them without being insensitive and spiteful, and I'm sure even the ones who are being targeted would have a gala time laughing their heads off at the barbs that are flung at them. The customary anticipatory bail that is often adopted on instances as these is therefore kept at bay.
The writing by Praveen S, especially in the former half of the film is exceptionally pointed, and some of the occurrences leave you gaping at them open mouthed, on account of the cleverness and creativity involved. When Sumathi's girl friend (Srinda Ashab) starts talking of her childhood, the flashback scenes that are woven in have to be seen to be believed, and I would gladly throw a few hats off for that stunner scene.
If you are in the mood for some real diverse attempt at film making, 'Chirakodinja Kinavukal' might just be what you are looking for. I wouldn't complain much about the storyline of a film that claims to be a spoof, and as such would expect it to merely stick on to the bare essentials if not more. The story for once does not matter; the sequences do.
However one does wish the film had stuck on to the satire and hilarity and had not digressed into the more intellectual pursuits that it suddenly takes an interest in. When one of his characters walks into Ambujakshan's suite and starts arguing with him as to who has the upper hand in deciding her fate, as much as the idea sounds impressive, it appears way out of place.
It is this disorientation that robs the narrative in the latter half of the amusement that had made the former half tremendously engaging. Things do slow down a bit towards the end, and the climactic finale that looks almost purposefully convoluted is a far cry from the fun-filled film that 'Chirakodinja Kinaavukal' had originally appeared to be.
Rima Kallingal does a brilliant job of playing Sumathi, while Kunchacko Boban handles his double role avatar with ease. Sreenivasan, Joy Mathew, Srinda Ashab and Gregory see to it that their performances are just right. Vaidy's frames do bring in some visual splendor, while Deepak Dev's musical score is about adequate.
It remains that this is a film that will be remembered for quite a long time as the first effectual spoof in Malayalam cinema that has actually given the genre a fine name. And with plenty of smiles floating around, 'Chirakodinja Kinavukal' makes for a delectable weekend watch!
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