French Viplavam Malayalam Movie
At a glance, there are glimpses of revolution in the theme being discussed in 'French Viplavam,' directed by debutant Maju. The unconventional opening marked by the settings of the late 90s leaves you a little a perplexed for a while. Going forward, the factors that reinforce the theme are hard to come by so you gradually shy away from evincing interest in the tale. Characters evoke the feel of caricatures in the movie written by Shajeer, Anwar Ali and Shajeer Shah. Director Maju could solely convey the traits of characters emphatically and it is equally supported by the effective portrayal of the protagonist by actor Lal.
Set in 1996, the film begins with narrating the grievances of tipplers in the village Kochukadavu on the last day before the ban on Arrack came into effect in Kerala. The mode of satire commences from the very first scene. Major Arrack shop owner in the village, Sisupalan, played by Lal, is in a dilemma after the closure of the shop. Interestingly, now he weaves plans on the sly to become the president of the temple. This is a sharp contrast when a former Arrack seller becomes the president of a temple.
Sisupalan's daughter Meera (Arya Salim) is in love with Sathyan (Sunny Wayne), who is a chef in a local resort. Sisupalan and his wife, played by Unnimaya Prasad, oppose this relation. Sathyan's father and Sisupalan are bosom friends. Once Sisupalan comes to Sathyan's house in search of his goat named Bindu and accuses Sathyan of poaching it at night. In this scene, Sisupalan searches the whole house and sits peacefully with Sathyan's father though he curses him in between. After the Arrack ban, the daily tipplers are looking for a solace. Here you would get the shades of the plot of the film 'Kunjiramayanam'.
There is another love affair between Sathyan's friend Abu (Lukman Lukku) and Bindu (Saritha Jayan). Aristo Suresh and Noby portray two brothers-in-law, who always appear hand-in-hand. Chemban Vinod Jose appears as Chathutty, a drug peddler, who tries to intrude into the gap of Arrack ban. When a foreign woman presents a special wine to Sathyan, it leads to the major issue of the story.
Overall, a coherent plot is missing in 'French Viplavam' to convey the essence of satire. The premise and the absurd acts of characters give a slight feeling of freshness, but that curiosity bites the dust when the outer layers of the tale are unfolded. Albeit creating a satirical milieu is the real intention, the characters and incidents provide only a skin-deep impact.
Lal leads from the front as the protagonist but the performances other actors, including Sunny Wayne, give mediocre satisfaction. Pappinu could recreate the milieu of the 90s through his visuals.
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