A maverick filmmaker – the tag suits V.K. Prakash the best. He would make Nirnayakam, a movie that went onto win the National Award for Best Film on Social Issues and the same man would jump in to helm Three Idiots, a no-brainer comedy. He does not stick to any genre and keeps on experimenting with outlandish themes in movies he directs across languages.
The trailer of Marubhoomiyile Aana, the latest in his repertoire, remained faithful to the VKP brand of filmmaking. Laughs were promised, Biju Menon's Sheikh character evoked curiosity and it's a VKP film – good enough reasons to put hopes on this one.
The movie starts with the death of a Keralite businessman at a luxurious hotel in Qatar. Cut to a village in Thrissur, we get to know about Suku (Krishna Sankar) and how his family went from riches to rags, courtesy malicious acts of Kamalan (Lalu Alex). Suku is in love with Keerthi (Samskruthy Shenoy), daughter of Kamalan (obviously). The targets for Suku are clear now and we have seen it umpteen times in films – he has to make huge amounts of money to save his family and at the same time, win his girl against the will of her evil father. Duh!
Also read: Biju Menon's 'Marubhoomiyile Aana' movie: short review
The need for money sends him flying to Qatar. Don't fret, I assure you that I am not giving away any spoilers. In Qatar, Suku gets glimpses of a rich Sheikh, played by Biju Menon, who's seen with his pet tiger at his lush palace. The Sheikh's name is a mile long; all I can recall is that it starts with Sheikh Ahmadi bin. The plot falls on its track when both Suku and the Sheikh land in Kerala in the same flight. How they take it forward from there is where the twists and turns lie.
Y. V. Rajesh, the writer of the film has a story – a story that we've seen enough of in Malayalam, and in Marubhoomiyile Aana, it is told in a less-engaging manner. The film has its share of twists in the second half, but sadly, they don't enhance the movie watching experience. With the writing taking sides with its demerits, V.K. Prakash, the captain of the ship, has not tried to make things riveting for the audience.
Now, the point of interest was the Sheikh character and how Biju Menon, the much-in-demand actor would deliver it. The actor is in his element and fits the role. It is fun listening to him speak Arabic and English with a Middle East accent. On the flip side, the interest his character generates ceases soon. The writer and director have painted his character as one who is keen to ogle at and mingle with women, for sparse laughter.
Krishna Shankar has nothing much to do as an actor here and is forced to bear one or two expressions throughout the movie. Ditto is the case with Lalu Alex whose villain role is anything but novel. Samskruthy, Balu Varghese as Suku's friend, Jayaraj Warrier as a jewelry owner who loves running (you know who) and Saju Navodaya as Kamalan's manager are just there amid the course of all action. Hareesh Perumanna is hilarious and a treat to watch, as always, and I wish he had more to do in the film.
Now, here comes the spoiler, literally. I went for this movie for its promised laughter, but to my disappointment that was missing. The first half is almost devoid of it and the second half is busy taking twists, pushing humor to the backseat.
Marubhoomiyile Aana is watchable if you have two hours to kill and nothing else to do. Oh, by the way, keeping with the custom of a VKP movie, it throws in references of at least half a dozen Malayalam films – from Nadodikkattu to Premam to Maheshinte Prathikaram. But that does not change the fact that it remains a passable fare.
Onmanorama rating: 2/5
