Mukesh, Urvashi, and Dhyan Sreenivasan take the lead in 'Iyer in Arabia', a movie that offers a blend of humour with cliches. Mukesh plays Sreenivasa Iyer, a devout Hindu with strong beliefs, while Urvashi excels as Iyer's wife, Professor Jhansi Rani, a woman driven by facts over religion. Dhyan Sreenivasan adds charm as Rahul, an outgoing personality eager to pursue a job in Dubai. The plot unfolds into chaos when Sreenivasa Iyer becomes distraught about his son's move, leading to an entertaining journey in the bustling city.
Mukesh and Urvashi's on-screen chemistry is a joy to behold, enhancing numerous comedic moments with their effortless presence. The film cleverly takes subtle jabs at rigid and superstitious beliefs, highlighting how some individuals are so ingrained in their convictions that open-minded thinking becomes a challenge.
Mukesh's character signifies individuals and parents with strict, uncompromising expectations for their children. On the other hand, Urvashi's character defines sensible individuals within the community who recognise that 'WhatsApp forwards' shouldn't serve as reliable information sources.
While the second half of the movie is completely set in Dubai, it exhibits a noticeable lag. The lively cat-and-mouse chase dynamics present in the first half are absent. The film takes a somewhat overly dramatic turn, losing focus and struggling to reach its conclusion. The movie tends to head down a rather predictable route in its concluding moments, contributing to another drawback.
Shine Tom Chacko, Durga Krishna, and Alencier make up the supporting cast of the movie. The standout performances come from Mukesh and Urvashi, who convincingly play parents and excel in handling both comedy and drama, making their performance the movie's strongest aspect. While Dhyan doesn't have a significant role, he performs decently in the film. Shine Tom Chacko's role in the movie is not very convincing, contrary to the expectations one might have from him.
Although the movie started with a promising theme, it deviated from its path by following cliches, leaving the audience with a sense of disconnect. Director M A Nishad's well-intentioned efforts to incorporate feel-good elements seemed somewhat forced and didn't seamlessly integrate into the story. Despite these shortcomings, certain comedic elements, like Mukesh's character attempting to spy on his son with a fake Facebook ID, were indeed really funny.
The film does have some enjoyable aspects, making it worth a one-time watch. Also, the reunion of Mukesh and Urvashi in this movie is another fact that may attract audiences to give it a try.
