Action Hero Biju Malayalam Movie
The cinematic reconstruction of the life of a police officer that Abrid Shine attempts in 'Action Hero Biju' is efficient to the core, and the craft elements on display exceptional. The mother of all gambles that the film indulges in - of keeping conventionalities at bay - makes it a level-headed film that traverses the rugged planes of law, justice, truth and life with consummate ease.
Inspector Biju Poulose (Nivin Pauly) has forfeited a comfortable teacher job at a college to pursue his dream of serving in the police force. Posted as the Sub inspector of the Town Station at Cochin, Biju finds himself face to face with a multitude of law enforcement issues that range from drug trafficking to sexual offences, from attempted to suicides to domestic conflicts. Engaged to be married, Biju finds little time to coo with his fiance Benitta (Anu Immanuel), as he and his co-workers lose themselves selflessly in work, day after day.
The ride that Abrid Shine takes us on, is ridden with wireless splutters that lets a city and its dwellers sleep in peace. Despite the grave issues at hand, there are liberal doses of merriment sprinkled all over the narrative, which makes 'Action Hero Biju' an expertly crafted film that pulls off almost all its manoeuvres lucratively.
Abrid Shine almost does the unthinkable by making his protagonist stand firm on real soil, shorn of all heroic adornments. The tale that he tells is rooted in the actual world that we are all a part of, and the contemporariness is all too perceptible to remain unobserved. This is a heart on the sleeve assertion of the social scenario in the state, and rebuilds with much triumph a cross section of the social substrata that is sliced straight off an up-and-coming metro city landscape.
'Action Hero Biju' entirely belongs to Nivin Pauly, who carries it with assurance on his strapping shoulders, inducing the right combine of hardiness, charm and charisma into his depiction of the firebrand police officer. Nivin is a delight to watch in 'Action Hero Biju', and never one does he let the terrific poise slip away. Anu Emmanuel looks ravishing, while Joju George, Prajod Kalabhavan, Rony Davis, Major Ravi and Saiju Kurup appear in key roles.
There is an assortment of individuals who inhabit the rich environs of this film with personal stories and accounts of their own. There are at least three among them, that sear into your hearts, the foremost being that of the man (Suraj Venjarammoodu) who approaches the sub inspector to get his daughter back from his estranged wife. As her family looks on feebly, a woman (Rohini) is arrested by the police on charges of theft, while yet another instance has a grim faced woman (Devi Ajith) walk into the station to find out where her teenager son has gone astray. All the three actors and the superlative shows that they put up vouchsafe for the brilliance in casting that makes this film teem with vivacious acting feats.
The astonishing performances that Shine competently extracts from a host of supporting actors, most of whom have never been seen on screen before, add to the film's many accomplishments. There is the toothless man who amuses with a musical interlude at the police station, or the two middle aged women who smile sheepishly as the inspector hurls a playful question at them. The hapless, yet determined girl who arrives at the station with a complaint against her boss who has refused to pay and the freaky youngsters who promise to get a hair cut and a helmet are all characters that one wouldn't dismiss in a hurry.
The frames remain sensible throughout, and Alex J. Pulickal's cinematography is sans gimmicks and other hair-raising ploys. Editing by Manoj is top notch, and it's wonderful to have Jerry Amaldev back with an appealing dreamy musical score, that stands in striking contrast to a peppy background score by Rajesh Murugesan.
Shine's film is an exemplary mark of respect paid to perhaps the most unthanked of all professions, and as a film satisfies you to the core. A gem of a film that sloshes ahead with unswerving intensity, 'Action Hero Biju' explicitly defines once and for all, what true heroism is all about.