Valiya Perunal Malayalam Movie

Feature Film | 2019 | UA | Drama, Thriller | 3h 8min
Critics:
'Valiyaperunnal' showcases the aggressive life and search for fortunes by youngsters in Mattancherry. It has a riveting presentation shored up by fabulous performances of newcomers. But the familiar theme and mishmash of prolonged events falter in holding your attention till the end.
Dec 22, 2019 By K. R. Rejeesh


Here the package is quirky in a complete informal premise of Mattancherry. Amidst lackluster lives in the narrow lanes of the street, you come across discontented and grumpy people as they are deprived of basic amenities. Akkar Salahuddin, played by Shane Nigam, and his friends are in search of fortunes in life and they look for ways to achieve it. Debutant director Dimal Dennis, who is also the scenarist with Thasreeq Abdul Salam, spreads a plethora of visuals, elegantly captured by Suresh Rajan, by introducing a host of newcomers as ordinary folk in front of you. You are really surprised that it takes a good amount of time to familiarise with the characters and tale of 'Valiyaperunnal,' that has a running time of a tad more than three hours.


The canvas of Mattancherry witnesses the activities of people like Mattancherry Sunno (Thahir Hussain), Akkar and other youngsters. Akku, a dancer by profession, is in love with another dancer Pooja (Himika Bose). Once Akkar and friends involved in a case of looting gold from a North Indian supplier and it leads to other problems. When police officers also involve in the siphoning the booty off the department, the film becomes a revenge tale between the accused and police.


Ruthless police officer Babu (James Elia), who hunts for Akkar and gang, enters Mattancherry and it creates chaos. Despite its novelty in appearance, the major problem 'Valiyaperunnal' faces is events and characters are barged in like bombardment sans any order. So, as a viewer, you have little respite when you try to identify the real space the characters occupy.


Actors like Soubin, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Athul Kulkarni and Captain Raju enter in between, though only a couple of them have any relevance in the plot. Joju George, who plays taxi driver Sivan, has a vital role in the proceedings. It's realistic to the core even as newcomers become the torchbearers of this tale in most parts. Casting is excellent but the mishmash of prolonged incidents takes off the sheen from 'Valiyaperunnal'. The hardcore local flavour and slang also pose a hindrance in its attempt to converse with the audience.


'Valiyaperunnal' showcases the aggressive life and search for fortunes by youngsters in Mattancherry. It has a riveting presentation shored up by fabulous performances of newcomers. But the familiar theme and mess of events falter in holding your attention till the end. Shane is powerful and exuberant as a flexible rap dancer. He keeps the same vibrancy in his performance too. Himika has equally done a perfect portrayal of a North Indian girl, who is sincere in her love for Akkar even after realising that he is an accused in a robbery case.


The attempt of Dimal to present it as a gangster tale is marred by a lack of clarity in fixing the right order in the narration and uncertainty in where to trim keeping his distinct style. The bizarre demeanour infused in certain characters sully the impact of the potential thriller mood of the film.

K. R. Rejeesh

   

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