White Boys Malayalam Movie
I wonder what Michael Haneke has to say about ' White Boys' - a merciless adaptation of his 1997 Austrian thriller film 'Funny Games' which was remade in America under the same title in 2007, and which starred Naomi Watts and Tim Roth in the lead roles.
'Funny Games' is indeed a decent watch, and involves a family of three being taken hostage by two young men, and their being subjected to sadistic games. 'White Boys' religiously follows the plot, and devotedly sticks to the original, almost as if in fear of deviating from it and committing a fatal mistake.
When a golfer-politician CP (Vijayaraghavan) and his wife Geetha (Anjali Aneesh) along with their son (Gaurav Menon), decide to spend a weekend at a hideout bungalow, little do they realize the terror that is about to descend on them. Two youngsters, claiming to be golfers and dressed in white (Kaushik Babu and Liju Krishna) come in seeking eggs to make an omelette, and set off a series of events that threaten the very existence of the family.
Sequentially, 'White Boys' holds no surprises in store, especially if you have already seen 'Funny Games'. Almost everything works out methodically, and as per plan, and the script retains even the minute details of the original plot. The few occasions when it tries to be ingenious are the weakest spots on the plot.
When Melila Rajashekhar places the characters of 'Funny Games' on the mist ridden landscape of a hill station somewhere in Kerala, he retains the creepiness that makes the Hollywood film an engaging watch. For the most part, scenarists Elias Kathavan and Nandan, sound a bit too enthused by the Haneke script, retaining even the dog that gets killed first.
At times, a film does admit to being inspired and borrow liberally from an stirring theme, whereas at others, a film is remade per se. 'White Boys' falls into the latter category, as not much is different - the heroes in both the films are avid golfers, have a family comprising of a wife and a son, and are attacked by two men who are much younger to their age.
There is perhaps nothing to be abhorred in being stimulated by a film, but it should be admitted that the creativity quotient of the film remains infinitesimally low. There is nothing inventive about it, and for a viewer like me who has watched 'Funny Games' more than once, there is very little that is invigorating in it.
Anjali Aneesh is no Naomi Watts, but it's refreshing to see the young actress come up with a remarkably convincing act, while Vijayaraghavan is extremely good as well. I do have a very special word of appreciation for both Koushik Babu and Liju Krishna - the White Boys - who are outstandingly at ease playing the ruthless ruffians.
'White Boys' does come across as an appealing thriller that keeps you perched right on the edge of your seats. But the inspiration is a bit too obvious to let it pass off as an inventive piece of film making.
Michael Haneke, take a bow!
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