Why would the official trailer of a movie put the spotlight on a running track, where Manju Warrier is made to look like gladiator, if it was only meant to be a metaphorical run? Suddenly an all-day-long sari-clad Manju runs the track in slick tracksuits and tee. Lavish dream sequence? But this isn’t one; it’s more of a symbolic boomerang of self-esteem and inspired energy!
Getting past that, this is the story of Nirupama Rajeev (Manju of course who else?!). She’s an insecure 36-year-old whose grey hair disturbs her more than the fact that she doesn’t have a visa to fly to Ireland with her husband. Fair enough, going by the husband, I would say!
She’s a government employee, mother of a thirteen-year-old, wife of a regular vanilla husband — non-progressive, non-humorous, and a little too turned on by Ireland. She slacks through the day, dodges work, has a witty repartee under her belt always, and also sounds exceedingly naïve. Somewhere, you get the sense that marriage hasn’t got her to ‘grow up’ like people expect women to. Very much justified.
So then it becomes unbelievable when Sandra (Kanika), former batch-mate, former best friend, reveals that Nirupama was a ‘terror’ in college! More than awe, you struggle to accommodate this detail. The woman who’s scared to go and meet the IG was a revolutionary in the golden era? The woman who scooped up mediocre tele-serials, and had nothing ‘interesting’ to discuss with her husband was the one to hold a protest for a computer building while in college?
From ordinary, the flights of fantasy are good to watch; it's always heartening to see a tale that shows a sort of resurgence. Nirupama is not characterised to aim for smaller appeasements, like in 'English Vinglish' (comparisons are rife between the two movies). She dreams big. And everything coincides to lead her to dream big. Starting from the President (Siddhartha Basu, to my amazement) wanting to meet an ordinary person, to a multi-millionaire wanting to buy her tomatoes, (Yes, I know, that sound a little lame, or let's say incredible) things just fall into her lap.
Too many shades (of character) spoil the broth. Well, not quite spoiled this one, but a stretched out coming-of-age (so to speak!) story. Kunchakko Boban (Rajeev), as the husband has nothing much to offer, except for embodying that male-kind that doesn't have an exact definition of what they expect from their wives.
Rosshan Andrews, Sanjay-Bobby and Manju — a deadly trio to begin with. After all the hoopla in the coconut land of 'say hello to Manju again', has she really made her comeback? Honestly, this time around, more than her wittiness and quick-as-mercury fluid-y expressions, the magic is in the crevices of her silences. She takes her stutters and half words to make up a whole emotion that we quickly identify with.
“Who decides the expiry date on a woman's dreams?” She herself, people close to her or the society — all of the above, says director Rosshan.
As a re-launch vehicle, it'll make an impact. However, messages are foggy, plot plays safe with little conviction. Revisiting “How old are you”, does age matter here? It really doesn't, but good roles do matter!
Hint hint: If a certain movie has been making social network mongers gargle with rumour waters, this flick doesn't seem to fall far behind either!
Rating: 3.25/5