Ozler & Anweshippin Kandethum

 #MalayalamMovies

(For those not in the know, these are movies in my native tongue of Malayalam, a language spoken in the South Indian state of Kerala).

I usually don’t pit movies against each other or even write about movies that don’t move me in an exceptional way. This means that I watch many good, even great movies, but that’s not enough to make me write about them. However, I am making an exception here. One movie is what I thought was great (not exceptional) and the other was just boring.

But these two films could be a good case study (for students of cinema) in what makes a movie great versus boring, especially since both belong to the same genre: crime and police procedurals.

Note: Art is very subjective so my opinion need not match with yours.

I was struck by the contrast in my experience because for one movie, I couldn’t take my eyes away from the screen. I didn’t move until it got over. The other made me scroll through my phone even while watching it! Both have movie stars that are well-loved by the Malayalam audience, one more senior than the other.

“Anweshippin Kandethum” on Netflix (India):

The name is a reference to the Bible phrase “seek and ye shall find”.

This movie is in the “great” category. I can’t believe it’s the directorial debut of Darwin Kuriakose. It stars the handsome and fit Tovino Thomas (very convincing as a cop) who has a sharp mind and sincere heart but gets into some bad luck in his first murder investigation. He is then handed a three-year-old cold case to redeem himself.

Both these cases have a twist at the end that you wouldn’t see coming. Definitely a must watch. I also loved the very creative way the title of the movie was shown on the screen. Excellent title track too. The ensemble cast is just flawless, all so natural.

A special mention has to be made for the production/art design team because even without any date given on screen (as usually shown) you will know exactly which year this story takes place, especially if you are a Malayali and lived in Kerala during that time period. Everything from the houses to the vehicles, hairstyles, costumes, even the way men groomed their moustaches, is a dead giveaway and will evoke some nostalgia. The attention to detail is commendable because it really brings to life that specific time and place in Kerala. 

“Abraham Ozler” on Disney Hotstar (India):

Veteran star Jayaram plays the titular character, a cop who faced an unimaginable personal tragedy, who’s now investigating a serial murder case. 

Again Courtesy Sreeram Sundaram

Midhun Manuel Thomas has directed the Malayalam medical crime thriller "Abraham Ozler" with the down-on-luck Jayaram playing the titular character. The movie starts with Ozler taking a family vacation to a hill town in Kerala and on receiving a phone call from the nearby police station, he gets out. Half way through, he realizes that the call was fake and goes back to realize that his wife and daughter have been kidnapped and murdered by a high on drugs Vineeth (Arjun Ashokan) who had an axe to grind against Ozler. 

The shock drives Ozler to being an insomniac and repeated visits to his doctor (Saikumar) does not seem to help. A murder in the city stirs him up and with couple more murders following, he realizes that a serial killer is out in the city. Aided by his subordinates (Senthil Krishna and Arya Salim), he sets out to nab the serial killer. What happens next is what the 144 minute movie is all about. 

Midhun's last directorial was the hugely successful "5aam Pathira" that resulted in a spate of thrillers being made in Malayalam, most of which were substandard. Coming from Midhun himself, expectations were very high for Ozler. The movie does not meet all expectations but thankfully does not significantly fall short either. 

The basic plot is interesting and for the most part, the filmmaker manages to keep the audience engaged. However, too much time is spent in establishing the hero's plight, there are logical loopholes at multiple places, too much of medical jargons are used and one scene does not seamlessly blend into the next in more instances than one. It also does not help that Jayaram maintains a sluggish body language which seems to blend into the pace of storytelling. Once the big reveal is made and Megastar Mammootty comes into the picture, we have the culprit explaining the backstory to the cops rather than the cops finding it out - it definitely is a different take but makes the cops in the movie look like fools especially with the climatic twist. 

To be fair to the makers, the flashback sequences involving a bunch of newcomers (and the flavor of the season - Anaswara Rajan) have been executed well and generates enough sympathy in the minds of the viewers for the affected party. Technically, the film passes muster in all departments and Theni Eshwar (whose last work in Malayalam was Nanpagal Nerathu Mayakkam) works his magic with the camera once again and proves that he is equally at home across multiple genres and milieu. 

Except for the mass introduction scene, Mammootty does not have much to do making you wonder why he accepted this role in the first place. Jayaram manages to maintain the graph of his character but he is relegated to the background once Mammotty enters the scene. Among the rest of the ensemble cast, Jagadeesh makes a mark as he has been with every single release of his in recent times. 

"Abraham Ozler" has had a remarkable run in theaters and is considered Jayaram's biggest grosser till date. Though I was not bored, there were no "edge of the seat" moments like 5aam Pathira which was far superior by all .

Sevi. Forensic department. Benyamin - 

Book writing, vulture. Born residue the key.

Sequels?