That Joju George has secured a place in the hearts of the Malayali audience is evident from the laudatory hoots he gets when he makes his on-screen entry in Porinju Mariam Jose. And with this movie, Joshiy, the conjurer in the thriller genre, is back. Porinju Mariam Jose, directed by the ace filmmaker, defines the class of his oeuvre that spans from the black and white era to contemporary cinema.
Joshiy, the master craftsman, is his usual self in this film. With suspense, thrill and drama in equal measure, this film speeds ahead engagingly. The story, which swivels around church festivities is set in the 80s and brims with life and bustle of a quaint Thrissur town. The dialogues laced with the beauty of the local dialect add to the grace of the narrative.
The story of Porinju, Mariam and Jose - the three eponymous characters played by Joju George, Nyla Usha and Chemban Vinod respectively - and their friendship, which dates back to their school days, is a gripping saga that is said to have been based on real-life persons. Porinju, and his alter ego Jose, had to drop out of school following a showdown with the headmaster. But Porinju's love for Mariam and Jose's deep desire to see the two get united grow well into their adulthood.
The drama gets intense with a face-off between Jose-Porinju duo and the sons and grandson of Princhu's guardian angel, Ipe, played by Vijaya Raghavan. The complex connections and skirmishes told in a simply decipherable canvas riddled with plenty of nerve-wrecking moments makes the movie an absorbing potboiler. Porinju Mariam Jose with ample doses of action, comedy and emotions, never veers away from the beaten path, but it never fails to arrest the attention either.
The actions are well-choreographed and at times bring you to the edge of the seat. Porinju, who hails from a moderate background, is a mix of vice and benevolence. In portraying a desperate lover waiting on end for his lady love, a fierce and vengeful marauder, and a loyal aide to his master, Joju delivers them all with a commendable punch.
While Chemban Vinod has essayed his role with utmost vibrancy, Nyla Usha completely gets transformed into the character that requires intensity and extreme poise. Sudhi Kopa with the limited screen space has proved his mettle and delivers some blitzkrieg moments. Meanwhile, Rahul Madhav showcases a mesmerising performance as Prince in the movie.
Joshiy engineers the twin shades of noir and romance, deftly interchanging them at the right moments, for a smooth glide of the narration. DOP by Ajay David Kachappilly and the brilliant music by Jakes Bejoy compliment each other and elevate the movie to several notches above.
