An International Local Story Malayalam Movie
A deliberate creative exercise for keeping a humorous milieu in the tale yields a feeble result in actor Harisree Ashokan's directorial debut. Standing close to the comic dramas in the 90's, 'An International Local Story' justifies the title with an ordinary plot that has a global connection; courtesy to the first scene. Cliched comic ripostes and absurdity in the events are real spoilsports since Ashokan hardly moves from the familiar pattern of presentation. The platform he embraces is ideal for creating the desired impact but the story and screenplay departments--- handled by Harisree Asokan, Ranjith, Eban, Saneesh, prove the dismal quality.
Madhavan, played by Nandu, returns from Malaysia with family after drawing curtains on his business connections there. At home in Kerala, the thought of how to keep the diamonds worth Rs 50 crore gives him sleepless nights. One night, he tries to squirrel away them on the premise of his Puthuppil house but at that time a toddy pot from a coconut tree falls on his head. From then on, Madhavan loses his memory and he gets back it occasionally. More than the comic effect, such trite scenes immerse the film to a fathomless depth beyond a revival.
Madhavan has a brother-in-law, Ayyappan (Harisree Ashokan), who along with Madhavan's three sons looks after him very well. Every time he regains memory, they seek about the diamonds. Meanwhile, Rahul (Rahul Madhav), a young doctor, secretly loves Lachu (Surabhi Santhosh). When the marriage proposal of Ayyappan's daughter Devika (Mamitha Baiju) comes, Rahul faces a dilemma. He also never discloses that he deeply loves his friend Mahesh's (Deepak Parambol) sister.
The stance of Sivan (Manoj. K. Jayan), the eldest son of Madhavan, in the marriage becomes decisive in the following events. 'An International Local Story' has a good pace in the treatment and among the mediocre comedy scenes, Suresh Krishna's 'Sketch' Rony stands out in comic timing. Ashokan strictly follows the textbook formula in the treatment in the company of some appealing frames by Alby. The hollowness in the tale sullies his efforts and what makes it a passable affair is the largely ignored plot construction.
Rahul Madhav is a proper addition to the cast while female characters like Surabhi and Mamitha have minimal scope for manifesting justice to their characters. The essence of conflict in the tale struggles to appear prominently due to the scattered and shallow execution.
The episode of diamonds crops up only in the prologue and epilogue, making its significance futile. The comic effect is tiring and lacks sheen while trying to hobnob with the main plot. The whole outcome of this movie appears nothing more than a comedy skit with poor impact on viewers.
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