Valatty - Tale of Tails Malayalam Movie
It's equally riveting and intriguing to watch notable actors lending their voices to canines that play major characters in 'Valatty'. A first in Malayalam Cinema, this refreshing factor demands a shift in the appreciation level while witnessing the life journey of canines, Tomy and Amalu. Writer-director Devan introduces the conflict in the life of two dogs living in neighbouring villas by creating the situation where the owners of the canines oppose the 'love affair' between the animals. The director's sarcastic approach shines fiercely when the owners are blaming each other for badly raising the dogs by taking pride in their own caste.
Human emotions are attributed to the animals and it makes the movie quite appealing. Even as there is no dearth of such genre in Hollywood, the animals could provide a real feel of characters here. The conflict zone appears to be hardly extraordinary and obviously, it pants for a gripping and engaging tale. Devan's efforts in making the animals behave like human beings are laudable but the template of the plot is mediocre and predictable. The screenplay is set in the regular format of protagonist-villain theory sans deviating from the normal structure.
'Valatty' serves up a relatable milieu by narrating the life of two dogs being reared in two affluent families. Roy, played by Vijay Babu, takes care of his pet Tomy (voice given by Roshan Mathews) well and he is even extra cautious regarding the crossing of Tony with a good breed. Amalu is growing up in a Brahmin family headed by Swamy (Srikanth Murali). His daughter Saraswathi (Mahima Nambiar) is very much fond of Amalu, a vegetarian dog.
When Tomy trespasses the house of Swamy and meets Amalu quite often, it creates an issue between the families. One night Tomy and Amalu elope with the help of a rooster (voice by Aju Varghese). They meet an old stray dog (voice by Indrans) that helps them before they reach the house of Sumathi (Rohini). At Sumathi's house, Tomy and Amalu meet Haridas aka Karidas (voice by Soubin Shahir), a black dog. They soon become friends. But one day Amalu is captured by dog catcher Bhasi (Akshay Radhakrishnan). Now Karidas and Tomy look for Amalu while Saraswathi and her fiance Anand (Dev Mohan) also are looking for the missing dog.
A good attempt to reckon with in all departments, the amusing moments in 'Valatty' lack an enduring impact due to the fragile nature of the script. It strikingly appeals to the sensibilities of children and canine lovers as the conflict connects well with the ilk. Apparently, canines playing major characters is a novelty but that factor is absent in the plot.
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