Aviyal Movie Review: Moderately and spasmodically engaging coming-of-age drama- Cinema express
What number of methods can one inform a coming-of-age story? An infinite variety of methods, as filmmakers throughout the globe present us yearly. Some prove good, some do not. Some time again, we noticed Vineeth Sreenivasan giving us Hridayam, which, regardless of some acquainted beats, managed to impress with a contemporary method, be it within the narrative construction or using music. Aviyal, from filmmaker Shanil Mohammed, goals to inform the evolution of its protagonist in a novel method, and also you get the sensation that you’re watching one thing not seen earlier than, however solely up to a degree — as an example, till the interval. After that, it struggles to remain afloat on account of a number of cliche-ridden moments.
Director: Shanil Mohammed
Forged: Siraj, Joju George, Anaswara Rajan, Anjali Nair, Ketaki Narayan, Athmiya
Nonetheless, Aviyal isn’t with out its pluses. And most of them should do with main man Siraj as Krishna Kumar, who goes by a number of transformations over the course of the movie. By the point one is finished with the movie, one will get the sensation of getting watched an anthology of 5 brief movies that includes the identical character in several get-ups. I discovered that method refreshing. Joju George performs the older model of Krishna Kumar, who’s now recounting his previous adventures — which sum up your entire movie — to his daughter (Anaswara Rajan) when she is nursing a heartbreak. The flashbacks come to the older Krishna whereas making an attempt to keep away from a head-on collision. He tells her that his complete life simply handed by him in a flash. He simply remembered his previous flings.
When the movie goes again to his highschool days, I anticipated it to be similar to some other highschool romance that we’ve got seen earlier than. Fortuitously, Siraj manages to inject these parts with refined complexities and, at instances, with a comical contact. However the movie is cautious to not make him too likeable. His conversations together with his father, virtually his greatest pal, make up a number of the movie’s warmest moments. The movie has one hilarious scene the place Siraj proposes to a highschool crush, the result of which made me snigger out loud. However in what follows later, there is no such thing as a novelty to be discovered. This lack will present up in the remainder of the movie in a number of locations.
I discovered the chapter with Siraj and Anjali Nair essentially the most impactful as a result of it prefers to indicate many issues. The younger man falling in love with an older, married girl trope will get a contemporary spin right here. However the remaining chapters of Siraj’s life did not enchantment to me a lot as a result of we’ve got seen the brooding man with the lengthy hair and beard stepping into fights and different acts of aggression earlier than. I additionally want all the feminine characters — excluding Anjali’s character — had putting personalities. An try is made to provide us a way of their characters by one or two strains, however they do not assist a lot. In Anjali’s case, that line about Madhavikutty speaks volumes. It is sufficient to clarify what goes by, regardless of the vagueness. Every little thing else from then on is slowed down by predictable outcomes, acquainted acts of aggression and introspection. There’s even an Autograph-style ‘reunion’ scene, solely right here, it is a funeral as a substitute of a marriage.
I need to credit score Siraj for making the movie price watching not less than as soon as as a result of his transformation by 4 chapters is sort of spectacular. And I am not speaking concerning the bodily transformation alone. You may see the modifications in his manner, voice and diction. By the tip of the movie, the character isn’t the identical individual he was earlier than, regardless that he goes again to his roots. Even when the movie did not work for me in its entirety, I am not less than grateful to the makers for giving us an immediately addictive, 90s-flavoured observe within the type of Manjin Thooval, crooned by KS Chithra and Unni Menon and composed by Sharreth.
