Malayankunju, directed by Sajimon, is a survival thriller set in the backdrop of high range during the rainy season. It's a story that revolves around a tiny hamlet perched on a hillside where a few families live on meagre means.
As the monsoon casts its spell, the whole of Kerala turns into a dripping and mossy green strip leaving everything else pointless. While people in the high range live in perpetual fear of landslides those living in the low-lying areas will go in search of safety shelters.
Anikkuttan, played by Fahadh Faasil, is a youth who lives in such a backdrop with his mother. He repairs electronic gadgets to earn a living. The story opens with Anikkukkan bearing the legacy of a woeful past which has already turned him eccentric and irritable. The sequences that initiate the drama are quite realistic and beautiful. However, they remain disjointed lots serving not much to the evolution of the real story.
The first half presents Anikkuttan in the light of his idiosyncrasies and routine activities with hints of a tragedy he survived in the past. When the narrative resumes in the second half with the nature's fury already struck, the whole drama subsumes into the struggling protagonist trapped several feet below the earth's surface.
Survival dramas are always meant to be roller-coasters bringing you to the edge of the seat. Malayankunju does just the same and there are some real nerve-racking sequences. The makers had already sent out caution for people with claustrophobia (the fear of being in a confined space), while watching the film. The story, when it shifts to the underneath, amply proves the claim.
Fahadh's last Malayalam film to release in theatres was Trance. Now as he's back after two years with Malayankunju, Malayalam cinema has been given a novel experience. Ever since it was announced, the movie boasted of several factors that had kept the expectations sky high - it is produced by Fazil, scripted by Mahesh Narayanan and its music is composed by none other than A R Rahman, who is back in Malayalam after his first work for Mohanlal-starrer 'Yohdha' released in 1992.
Apart from the soothing melodies including 'Cholapenne' Rahman weaves his magical wand across the tale, elevating the vibes.
For Mahesh Narayayanan, manoeuvring the camera has been a long-cherished dream and he has carried out the job with elan.
While Indrans, Rajisha Vijayan, Johny Antony, Arjun Ashokan and Deepak Parambol have made their characters memorable, Jaffar Idukki though, in a cameo, has offered a few epic moments.
The brilliant design of the ambiance sound by Vishnu Govind and Sree Sankar adds to the beauty of the drama. The struggle for survival has been also portrayed with all its profundity. Fahadh has meticulously displayed the agony and emotions of a perplexed victim. The assiduous efforts of the whole crew in filming the thriller is all evident in the scenes, which instill a craving in the audience for an immediate salvation.
Though the story is not fluently narrated, 'Malayankunju' showcases a brilliant picture of life, the struggle for life and the beautiful and tender nuances of life augmented by sound, music and camera on the sidelines of a huge devastation.
