Varane Avashyamund is made by a person who loved the golden age of Malayalam cinema of the late 80s when simple stories were told with great mix of characters and a nice blend of light hearted banter and true relatable emotions ( mother -son, brother -sister). The directors could bring alive stories like a man coming back from the Gulf but not getting the welcome he anticipated. A houseowner who struggles to get rid of a tenant despite serious financial difficulties and ends falling in love with the tenant. One such director was Sathyan Anthikad whose son Anoop Sathyan makes his debut with Varane Avashyamund.
Like a family Biryani recipe he opens up his fathers spice box and starts the process of film making. Does he get the Biryani right like his father? Almost but not fully.
Well he gets the aroma right that draws you to the plate, you nibble on the grainy rice but the gravy is not well coated. Thats what Varane Avashyamund feels like.
Given the heavy emphasis on characters in the recipe ,Anoop Sathyan creates four families living in a Chennai apartment complex as his milieu. These four families means 10-15 characters. How they interact with each other as they go about their daily lives and go slightly deeper in the end to 'come of age or reveal someones deep emotions' is really the story of the movie. There are 4 central characters and their relations.
There are 4 trump cards in the casting of the characters itself but doesnt shuffle them so well.
1. A comeback by Shobhana , the Queen of Malayalam cinema during his fathers time. Shobhana plays the single mother of a 20 year old ( Kalyani Priyadarsan - yes Priyadarsans daughter) who is a French teacher and dancer ( of course its like Salman not fighting in his movies). There is so much Shobhanification in the movie that its almost irritating. Students talk a lot about her beauty, she even gets compared to the actress Shobhana, she gets a full dance song and this happens not once but almost every 15 minutes in the movie. Shobhana soaks it in but doesnt give anything back as an actress. Playing a woman who loves to fall in love, she seems 'not that into it' . Yes she is graceful, holds the screen but its not THE Shobhana - the national award winner. I have always felt Shobhana is like the Baingan ( brinjal) , better tasting on its own and not so much with other vegetables. She is just one of the characters, she is not the movie like ManiChitrathazhu .
2. The movies real trump card and comeback is the man who is better known as the supercop of Malayalam Cinema - Suresh Gopi. Acting as the polar opposite of his screen image, he plays a retired major with anger management issues who falls in love with Shobhana on first sight. He makes an entry in a wheelchair. He goes to a psychiatrist ( played by an actor who reminds us of the characterization of the golden age or Jagathy ) who gives him 'tasks' to control his anger. He spoofs himself ( using his trademark 'bloody' English sparingly but in the right doses), struggles to profess his love , and does everything to endear us. For a hero who probably never got his due , Suresh Gopi is masterful yet subtle. I wish he comes in more movies.
3. The usually super reliable Dulqeer Salman, who is also the producer, has the lowest screen time , Think Virat Kohli coming at number 5. He plays Fraud, an everyday youngster with girlfriend issues and focus issues. He lives with his grandmother ( a sublime KPAC Lalitha who is called Akashvani) and his cantankerous young brother who keeps fighting with him. They have a pet hen whom they call KFC ( this is the sense of humour in the movie). Even though he has done this role many times now , he shows his caliber in a terrace scene where he remembers how his parents died where you can get a lump in your throat .
4. Kalyani Priyadarsan makes a confident debut as a youngster who wants to stick to an arranged marriage. This is the most well written character and Kalyani does sufficient justice to help you feel invested in her emotions. Its surprising that she has not dubbed herself. The interactions between her and Shobhana are the warmest emotional parts of the movie.
Then there are more characters - KPAC Lalitha - someone who was there in those 80s movies, shows why she is the best. Playing a serial actress and the grandmother , she binds the movie well. Urvashi another brilliant actress plays a dentist in her trademark style but how she stokes emotions as Kalyani's potential mother in law is one of the best parts of the movie.
The movie moves at a languid pace, establishing these characters , creating interactions between them in the apartment makes you smile. Each interaction helps the characters progress in their lives. Sometimes you start to wonder- where is the main dish? When will the movie start going deeper? Everything is very light touch, although there is enough warmth for you to enjoy, I felt the ending comes very fast and there is not sufficient conviction in the 2 love story endings . The continuous indulgences by the director to invoke the yesteryears dialogues mouthed by these actors also does not help. The worst of them is when the Major calls Shobhana Ganga from their famous scene in Mancihitrathazhu.
Overall Anoop gets the ingredients of his fathers trademark Biryani right but there is so much feel good in his movie, that you feel like being treated to dessert rather than biryani at times. A little more gravy and stirring would have given it more dum !
Like a family Biryani recipe he opens up his fathers spice box and starts the process of film making. Does he get the Biryani right like his father? Almost but not fully.
Well he gets the aroma right that draws you to the plate, you nibble on the grainy rice but the gravy is not well coated. Thats what Varane Avashyamund feels like.
Given the heavy emphasis on characters in the recipe ,Anoop Sathyan creates four families living in a Chennai apartment complex as his milieu. These four families means 10-15 characters. How they interact with each other as they go about their daily lives and go slightly deeper in the end to 'come of age or reveal someones deep emotions' is really the story of the movie. There are 4 central characters and their relations.
There are 4 trump cards in the casting of the characters itself but doesnt shuffle them so well.
1. A comeback by Shobhana , the Queen of Malayalam cinema during his fathers time. Shobhana plays the single mother of a 20 year old ( Kalyani Priyadarsan - yes Priyadarsans daughter) who is a French teacher and dancer ( of course its like Salman not fighting in his movies). There is so much Shobhanification in the movie that its almost irritating. Students talk a lot about her beauty, she even gets compared to the actress Shobhana, she gets a full dance song and this happens not once but almost every 15 minutes in the movie. Shobhana soaks it in but doesnt give anything back as an actress. Playing a woman who loves to fall in love, she seems 'not that into it' . Yes she is graceful, holds the screen but its not THE Shobhana - the national award winner. I have always felt Shobhana is like the Baingan ( brinjal) , better tasting on its own and not so much with other vegetables. She is just one of the characters, she is not the movie like ManiChitrathazhu .
2. The movies real trump card and comeback is the man who is better known as the supercop of Malayalam Cinema - Suresh Gopi. Acting as the polar opposite of his screen image, he plays a retired major with anger management issues who falls in love with Shobhana on first sight. He makes an entry in a wheelchair. He goes to a psychiatrist ( played by an actor who reminds us of the characterization of the golden age or Jagathy ) who gives him 'tasks' to control his anger. He spoofs himself ( using his trademark 'bloody' English sparingly but in the right doses), struggles to profess his love , and does everything to endear us. For a hero who probably never got his due , Suresh Gopi is masterful yet subtle. I wish he comes in more movies.
3. The usually super reliable Dulqeer Salman, who is also the producer, has the lowest screen time , Think Virat Kohli coming at number 5. He plays Fraud, an everyday youngster with girlfriend issues and focus issues. He lives with his grandmother ( a sublime KPAC Lalitha who is called Akashvani) and his cantankerous young brother who keeps fighting with him. They have a pet hen whom they call KFC ( this is the sense of humour in the movie). Even though he has done this role many times now , he shows his caliber in a terrace scene where he remembers how his parents died where you can get a lump in your throat .
4. Kalyani Priyadarsan makes a confident debut as a youngster who wants to stick to an arranged marriage. This is the most well written character and Kalyani does sufficient justice to help you feel invested in her emotions. Its surprising that she has not dubbed herself. The interactions between her and Shobhana are the warmest emotional parts of the movie.
Then there are more characters - KPAC Lalitha - someone who was there in those 80s movies, shows why she is the best. Playing a serial actress and the grandmother , she binds the movie well. Urvashi another brilliant actress plays a dentist in her trademark style but how she stokes emotions as Kalyani's potential mother in law is one of the best parts of the movie.
The movie moves at a languid pace, establishing these characters , creating interactions between them in the apartment makes you smile. Each interaction helps the characters progress in their lives. Sometimes you start to wonder- where is the main dish? When will the movie start going deeper? Everything is very light touch, although there is enough warmth for you to enjoy, I felt the ending comes very fast and there is not sufficient conviction in the 2 love story endings . The continuous indulgences by the director to invoke the yesteryears dialogues mouthed by these actors also does not help. The worst of them is when the Major calls Shobhana Ganga from their famous scene in Mancihitrathazhu.
Overall Anoop gets the ingredients of his fathers trademark Biryani right but there is so much feel good in his movie, that you feel like being treated to dessert rather than biryani at times. A little more gravy and stirring would have given it more dum !
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