Yet another story of youngsters who look up to a seasoned oldie for inspiration in their trouble-filled lives. We saw the concept executed neatly in 'Usthad Hotel', 'Indian Rupee', and 'North 24 Kaatham', and partly well in 'Koothara'. Now, when the synopsis is a tried-n- tested one, it is the sole responsibility of the writer/director to lend fresh treatment in order to make the film an exciting one.
We do see glimmers of the talent that Shanil Mohammed (who earlier co-directed 'Phillips and the Monkey Pen') truly is. But these moments are far too less and way too scattered for the viewer to buy into a wearisome 2 hours 11 minute film in totality. The messed up chronology of the scenes doesn't help either. Each of the young men (Vinay Forrt, Asif Ali and Unni Mukundan) have their own stories to unfurl but the director chooses to hold off some of their decisive flashback moments up until the climax, making it difficult for the viewer to understand their emotional tendencies and motives.
Although the three leading men secure the maximum amount of screen- time, it is still Nedumudi Venu who clinches the top honors. And of the sub-plots, Ashik's (Asif Ali) is comparatively more fun and at least seems to have a purpose, though infinitesimal. The major women characters, that of Honey Rose and Lena have little to do with the overall proceedings and are assigned very few scenes. The climax is also badly written. The purpose of the three men taking a journey in search of Scobo Jones (Nedumudi Venu) whose entry into the lives of these men is as fleeting as the exit, appears under-served.
It also doesn't help when the comedy is almost non-existent while the performances themselves do not account for overwhelming feats. Unni Mukundan needs to up his game in terms of emoting. The romantic segment between him and Honey Rose is nothing short of contrived. That the film ends on a positive note is also mere plot-convenience.
Verdict: Nothing to lose if you happen to give this one a miss!
