Varathan Malayalam Movie

Feature Film | 2018 | Thriller, Family Drama
Critics:
Varathan dwells on the voyeuristic traits of a society, which pries on women, and the protective role men have to play. While Amal Neerad tells the tale with admirable restraint two thirds of the film's run-time, he dilutes its provocation with his usual pet indulgences.
Sep 23, 2018 By Sreejith Mullappilly

Where To Watch:
Streaming:
   Disney+hotstar
DVD Release: Jan 11 2019

Varathan dwells on the voyeuristic traits of a society, which pries on women, and the protective role men have to play. While Amal Neerad tells the tale with admirable restraint two thirds of the film's runtime, he dilutes its provocation with his usual pet indulgences. He is the director with a thing for the slow-motion walks and throwaway lines but it is his fly on the wall style of filmmaking that really catches us in a spell for the most part of Varathan.


The film straightaway throws us into the midst of the precarious situation its protagonists Abin and Priya are going through. When Abin loses his job in Dubai, the couple comes back home to settle in a hilly property in a village. Just as they land in Bangalore and gets into a taxi, notice how the cabbie adjusts its mirror to "watch" Priya. A well-mannered Abin seems oblivious to that act of prying. Then again this a man who cannot always decide when to be nice and draw the line (to vandals).


The prying eyes keep following Priya even when they move into their new home. It is an ancient settlement and, as one of the characters says, one that is full of village people. While that evokes a sense of an idyllic old-world, in Varathan it is one where people seek voyeuristic pleasure.


What kind of world is this asks a shattered Priya later as the prying eyes turns into voyeurs and she starts to lose all sense of privacy. She shares her insecurity to Abin and his oblivious response to that is an eye-opener, one that makes us question not just the worldview of its characters but the world we live in.


Aishwarya Lekshmi in the role is brilliant, effectively conveying Priya's anxieties while showing her inner strength too. It is a powerful performance. Fahadh Faasil again shows how matured an actor he has become and how well is evolving. When Abin says he cannot hurt a cockroach, we feel he has a good heart. And, when he weeps for his own misdeeds, we feel the pain inside of him and the urge to right the wrong. Sharaf U Dheen, in a departure of the comic roles we have seen him in, is effectively creepy as Joice and certainly the revelation of Varathan. Remember, he was Premam's Girirajan Kozhi but here he shows he can pull off another flirtatious role with menace.


Amal Neerad's ideas are intriguing, although his action indulgences are not ideal for the milieu of the film. I like the way why Abin ultimately takes the zero-tolerant route to deal with the obnoxious social flies that pervade their private life. Abin feels it is better to swat the flies that has found a place on their private wall, we realize he has no other option, but his sudden character transformation lacks conviction.


The action in the climax is thrilling, but it is rather cinematic.

Sreejith Mullappilly

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