Vettah - Malayalm Movie Review by Afsal TouchRiver
One peculiar thing that surprised me yesterday while watching 'Vettah' from the cinemas was the huge applause that generated once the name ''Rajesh Pillai" rolled on the screen,which only few film makers from Mollywood have achieved in recent times.Such is the respect and love that Rajesh Pillai gained from the hearts of movie buffs after his iconic directorial venture Traffic,which in all means was a trend-setter as far as malayalam cinema is concerned.His next endeavor 'Mili' too was a decent flick that received good response from a good share of the audience.
Vettah was no exception,being a delightful experience and a refreshing creation from the talented craftsman that will make anyone wait for his long anticipated movie "Motor Cycle Diaries'' starring Kunchako Boban and Nivin Pauly playing the leads.But alas! Sometimes fate has totally different plans than what we expect!
'Shocking' will be a less fitting word for the second I heard the news about Rajesh Pillai's demise co-incidently while I was penning this review of his latest and unfortunately the last offering for us,those who love the medium called cinema.Its really sad that he couldn't taste the success of his latest movie that's sure to receive huge boxoffice response in the coming days.Cruel fate!
Coming to the movie,Vettah is a moody,slow-placed thriller with connectable characters,that manages to engage the viewers for its runtime of 113 minutes.An intriguing mind game as the director himself told,Vettah's success lies in the fact that it could develop different conclusions in the minds of viewers,way apart from the real story that unfolded towards mid way of the second half.An interesting guessing game of sorts!
Screenplay by Arunlal Ramachandran has its share of loopholes,but doesn't turn hiccup in the narration beacuse of focussed direction by Rajesh Pillai.The craft that Rajesh showcased in Traffic was evident here and it was his brilliance that lifted the ordinary screenplay a level higher,catering to a wider section of the audience.The slow pace of the narration was convincing and suiting the storyline.The climax was the best part of the narration and conceived really well with impressive twists that the majority will not expect.
Kunchako Boban was at his best and stole the show with an impressive performance in the lead role of the accused. Indrajith was good but didn't have much to perform as expected.Manju Warrier looked a mis-cast and was slightly disappointing after her impressive performances in 'Jo & The Boy' and 'Rani Padmini'.The supporting cast including Vijayaraghavan,Rooney etc did their part well.
Music & Background Score by Shaan Rahman were fine with the song 'Raavu Mayave' being a melodious duet that calls for repeated hearing.Technical side is the critical part of any thriller and here the crew did their part really well with the notable name being Anish Lal who handled the cinematography impressively.Abhilash Balanchadran did a profound job with neat cuts.
Overall,Vettah is a neatly narrated crime thriller that makes up for an above average one-time-watch any day.
Some +Ves
________
|| Kunchako Boban || Focussed Direction || Suspense Element || Sound Technical Side ||
Some -Ves::
___________
|| Small Loopholes In The Screenplay || Weak Performance By Manju Warrier ||
Verdict::Leaving aside negligible flaws,Vettah is a refreshing crime thriller that's worth a watch from the big screens.The worst part is that we cannot wait for more such thrillers from the talented young director any more !
Rating - 7.5/10 [★★★1/2]
R.I.P Rajesh Raman Pillai frown emoticon You will be long remembered!!