Time and time again, movies have sworn off modernity to embrace the good old rustic times. Likewise, kids being at the receiving end of the hustle and bustle of city life is another repetitive aphorism Mollywood filmmakers swear by. Still, Rosshan Andrrews is a winner, for he has skilfully portrayed a boy's escapade from a concrete jungle in a taut and gripping narrative.
In School Bus, Rosshan Andrrews-Bobby-Sanjay combo explores the drawbacks of today's urban education system, a theme they had touched upon only peripherally in Notebook. And this time, the camera zooms in on a young boy's attempts to live a life different from the one being imposed on him by his parents.
Though the plot and the order of events progress in an expected way, the flow of the script and the powerful performances by the little greenhorns and the seasoned actors make it an interesting watch.
The film opens at a school, wherein scheming 'little' minds are attempting a secret adventure, which gets foiled at the last minute. However, Ajoy (Akash Muraleedharan), a primary student, who also happens to be the hero, is so determined that he goes on with the plan, albeit unaware of the dire consequences.
The school sequences involving the little gang are sure to entertain the audience across age groups. In the second half, the film's borrows the tone of a seething thriller and the forest sequences are sure to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats.
The little stars Akash and Angelina Rosshan steal the show with their genuine portrayal of innocence while Jayasurya's taciturn, hot-tempered father brings out the mature actor in him once again with an adequate support from Aparna Gopinatah, who plays the 34-year-old mother.
Kunchacko Bobban dons the cap of a debutant inspector, who is the antitheses of Mollywood action heroes. The director deserves a special round of applause for the brilliant casting.
Despite the flow of the narrative, the film turns a bit melodramatic with scenes and dialogues in quite expected lines at times; a usual trace of the writer-duo.
The film is canned by Muraleedharan and the work proves why he is counted as one of the best cameraman in Indian film industry. Capturing the well-lit colors of urban life and the foggy interiors of the dense forests, Muraleedharan makes the movie a visual treat. The background score by Gopi Sunder at times fails to go well with the tone of the film. The noisy tunes in the backdrop of the dense, lush woods could have been avoided.
Despite falling in an expected track, the film is sure to entertain those who do not hope too much from the screen.
Onmanorama rating: 3/5