Chaverpada Malayalam Movie
When the titles of 'Chaverpada' unveil on screen, there are quite a few undecipherable words that are displayed, some of which suspiciously look like Armageddon. No idea if the reference was to an epic battle or the science fiction film that goes by the same name, but in reality, 'Chaverpada' has nothing to do with either.
4Tech is the unique name of a group of four youngsters (Arun, Manikuttan, Vivek and Tony) who have created quite an impression as gifted engineers with the different innovations that they come up with. One such attempt jams all the wireless signals in the city, that brings their talents to the notice of some hardcore terrorists. Not much later, they are kidnapped and it's left to the NSG Commando Vishal Sabhapathi (Bala) to rescue them.
There are several asides in the film, the most important one being the minor scuffles that the foursome have at the college. There is a rival gang who live their lives with the sole purpose of getting beaten up by 4Tech. There is also a romantic element in the form of a Professor (Kochupreman) who coochie-cooes with a lady lecturer, and whose love chants are proclaimed through the college public address system, thanks to the smart intervention of 4Tech. There is also Tesni Khan as Cleopatra who arrives from the US as a housemaid, and prizes for guessing that she speaks funny English.
The attempts at humor, are minimal as mentioned above. This isn't after all a film that hopes to make you laugh. The issue that is being dealt with here, is something as serious as terrorism. And the terrorists live somewhere deep in a dense forest, and if God forbid you lose your way like the poor boys did, do not ever look back when you hear the sound of an anklet. For these days, you can never be sure if it's a blood thirsty spirit or a vengeful terrorist who's out for your life.
In this case, it turns out to be a terrorist and quite a beautiful one at that. The head of the gang sports contact lenses and introduces the rest of the gang members, some of whom have pursued their studies at JNU. And Vishal Sabhapathy has arrived in the jungle as well, and is quite a clever man. He pauses before wire fences, checks the voltage, and cuts them off, before crossing their paths.
Imagine the surprise of Vishal then, when he finds that the terrorists are actually having a great time. This in fact makes good stuff for the very popular Believe it or Not program, but when he arrives he finds a cabaret going on, at the terrorist camp! I wouldn't blame him for being distracted, and it's a while before he sets things right and sets a few doubts to rest. In the very last scene, Vishal tells us that the title of the film refers to the nation's youngsters who are willing to risk their lives for their homeland.
Chaverpada is a wannabe thriller that falls short on the bangs and blasts. There are very few real thrilling moments in it, and unfortunately none of the several, sketchily drawn characters connect with us.
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