Fahadh Faasil (re)enters the universe built by the Anthikkads (Sathyan, Anoop, and now the debuting Akhil) and almost single-handedly makes us care for a plot that offers little to no surprises and moves along at a very predictable pace. Don't be turned off by the 2h 51m run-time. Akhil Sathyan mostly treads the footsteps of his father while penning the script for Pachu (shortened), where the routine life of the protagonist suddenly takes a detour owing to the interference of one (or more) female characters. While Sathyan Anthikkad rarely ventured outside Kerala (or Tamil Nadu) to tell his stories filled with "goodness", Akhil Sathyan uses 3 different locations to narrate his - Mumbai, Goa, and Kerala (in bits & pieces). Mumbai and Goa, especially, have been captured nicely.
The humour is mostly subtle and situational, which works in its favour. Some of the casting choices (aside from Fahadh) are superb. Anjana Jayaprakash plays Hamsadhwani, a character that seems inconsequential at first, but blends into the proceedings seamlessly. Scenes featuring Fahadh and her, while carried by Fahadh's improvisations, are wonderful to watch. Vineeth also gets a worthwhile role after a pretty long gap, reminding us that it's not just his voice that Malayalam cinema needs to use more of. Given it's the final film of the late great Innocent, seeing him too brings forth genuine smiles. The subplot that involves saving a poor child from the Goan slums had the potential to fizzle out the entire movie. But the writing never goes the melodramatic route and the performances remain grounded.
