Aviyal Movie Review: Moderately and spasmodically engaging coming-of-age drama- Cinema express -

What variety of strategies can one inform a coming-of-age story? An infinite number of strategies, as filmmakers all through the globe current us yearly. Some show good, some don't. A while once more, we seen Vineeth Sreenivasan giving us Hridayam, which, no matter some acquainted beats, managed to impress with a up to date methodology, be it inside the narrative building or utilizing music. Aviyal, from filmmaker Shanil Mohammed, objectives to tell the evolution of its protagonist in a novel methodology, and in addition you get the feeling that you simply’re watching one factor not seen sooner than, nevertheless solely as much as a level — for example, until the interval. After that, it struggles to stay afloat on account of quite a few cliche-ridden moments.

Director: Shanil Mohammed
Solid: Siraj, Joju George, Anaswara Rajan, Anjali Nair, Ketaki Narayan, Athmiya

Nonetheless, Aviyal isn’t with out its pluses. And most of them ought to do with predominant man Siraj as Krishna Kumar, who goes by quite a few transformations over the course of the film. By the purpose one is completed with the film, one will get the feeling of getting watched an anthology of 5 transient motion pictures that features the similar character in a number of get-ups. I found that methodology refreshing. Joju George performs the older mannequin of Krishna Kumar, who’s now recounting his earlier adventures — which sum up your total film — to his daughter (Anaswara Rajan) when she is nursing a heartbreak. The flashbacks come to the older Krishna whereas attempting to avoid a head-on collision. He tells her that his full life merely handed by him in a flash. He merely remembered his earlier flings.

When the film goes once more to his highschool days, I anticipated it to be much like another highschool romance that we’ve acquired seen sooner than. Fortuitously, Siraj manages to inject these elements with refined complexities and, at situations, with a comical contact. Nevertheless the film is cautious to not make him too likeable. His conversations collectively along with his father, nearly his best pal, make up quite a few the film’s warmest moments.  The film has one hilarious scene the place Siraj proposes to a highschool crush, the results of which made me snigger out loud. Nevertheless in what follows later, there is no such thing as a such factor as a novelty to be found. This lack will current up within the the rest of the film in quite a few places.

I found the chapter with Siraj and Anjali Nair basically probably the most impactful on account of it prefers to point many points. The youthful man falling in love with an older, married woman trope will get a up to date spin proper here. Nevertheless the remaining chapters of Siraj’s life didn't enchantment to me so much on account of we’ve acquired seen the brooding man with the prolonged hair and beard entering into fights and completely different acts of aggression sooner than. I moreover need all the female characters — excluding Anjali’s character — had placing personalities. An attempt is made to supply us a approach of their characters by one or two strains, nevertheless they don't help so much. In Anjali’s case, that line about Madhavikutty speaks volumes. It's ample to make clear what goes by, whatever the vagueness. Each little factor else from then on is slowed down by predictable outcomes, acquainted acts of aggression and introspection. There’s even an Autograph-style ‘reunion’ scene, solely proper here, it's a funeral as an alternative of a wedding.

I have to credit score rating Siraj for making the film worth watching not lower than as quickly as on account of his transformation by 4 chapters is form of spectacular. And I'm not talking regarding the bodily transformation alone. You might even see the modifications in his method, voice and diction. By the tip of the film, the character isn’t the similar particular person he was sooner than, regardless that he goes once more to his roots. Even when the film didn't work for me in its entirety, I'm not lower than grateful to the makers for giving us an instantly addictive, 90s-flavoured observe inside the kind of Manjin Thooval, crooned by KS Chithra and Unni Menon and composed by Sharreth.