Mohavalayam Malayalam Movie

Feature Film | 2016
Critics:
The haziness and ambiguity that rules the lives of its characters almost ebbs over and in no time floods the film with an indistinctness all over. The loop of enchantment therefore merely remains a chalk circle, that is blown away in no time by the droning desert winds.
Apr 3, 2016 By Veeyen


T V Chandran's 'Mohavalayam' follows an acclaimed film director Joe Sebastian (Joy Mathew) across the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain, where hundreds of Malayalees flock every weekend to let their hair down after a strenuous work week at Saudi Arabia. Bogged down by a script that tries to be more intellectual than it could ever aspire to be, 'Mohavalayam' is unlikely to be a striking addition to the much acclaimed director's repertoire.


Much of the action in the film occurs at a bar in Bahrain, run by the highly seductive and decidedly mysterious Prameela (Mythili). Sebastain, is in no time floored by the bar owner's charms and starts following her around, conveniently forgetting even the assignment that he had landed in the country for. Not one to give in, Pramila sees him as one more addition to her endless list of admirers and keeps him hanging, taking care to hurt him the least as he goes through a traumatic course of self discovery.


Chandran shows intentions of building up on the lives of the men and women that occupy the confines of the bar in the weekends, and tries albeit ineffectively to sketch the characters in precise terms. One such is the man (Sudheesh) who spends his earnings week after week on a bargirl, ignoring the fervent pleas for help from back home.


The bar girls have sorry stories to tell as well, and leading the pack is Saritha (Srida Ashab) who falls in love with a Paksitani driver. She nurtures hopes of moving over to Pakistan, but is distraught by the terrible news that awaits her.


As much as 'Mohavalayam' aspires to bring in the melancholy that pervades the lives of expatriates in the Middle East, the impact that it has on viewer minds is quite limited. While it puts up a peripheral view of the desolate lives roaming around the hot desert lands, very seldom does it accomplish an effective portrayal of the souls that lie within them.


Pramila finally lets the director into her life, if at all to let him be the voyeur of her past life. Tales of a miserable marriage, an insane husband and her innumerable admirers drift in, and he remains a passive listener as the rest of us, only to become increasingly obsessed with the magnetism of this mystifying woman.


Joy Mathew does a tidy job of playing the director who finds his muse in a bar girl, though it would perhaps remain debatable if it indeed is an award winning performance. And if at all a suspicion as that floats in, it is because of the almost flawed character that he plays on screen, who never lets us get close enough to him to take a closer look at his frailties.


Mythili on the other hand looks extremely comfortable playing Pramila, though the all too frequent fake smile, that is deliberate, does take the charm off her performance a bit. Shine Tom Chacko, Sudheesh and Srinda Ashab do justice to their respective roles as well.


The haziness and ambiguity that rules the lives of its characters almost ebbs over and in no time floods the film with an indistinctness all over. The loop of enchantment therefore merely remains a chalk circle, that is blown away in no time by the droning desert winds.


Veeyen

   

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