Praavinkoodu Shappu

I had a hard time figuring out how much I liked this film. This is one of those films that if I was watching with someone else, their opinion would have been pivotal to my final opinion of it. There's so much to like in this film, from the general quirkiness, the performances, the technical side with great cinematography and editing, etc. But at the same time, there's also a lot that doesn't work. It does feel like a try-hard most of the time. The plot itself is simple and lackluster but they have tried to make it interesting by making it a stylistic non linear comedy. The comedy was hit or miss. It's refreshing when it hits but a lot of times it misses and the misses are cringe at best and frustratingly annoying at worst. But towards the end, it kind of becomes a total tonal mess, and adding extensive exposition also didn't help. Overall it's kind of fun and the way it unfolds is certainly interesting but even with such a dream technical execution for a debutant director, the script lacks substance and shows the inexperience there. This really feels like people may love it if they get the vibe or they may just think it's another boring investigation movie.

Watched this on OTT due to a Basil Joseph hangover whose brilliance in recent times has been overwhelming..Basil can still wear half pants and pass off as a school boy character or a frustrated young man who vents it out in his trademark comic fashion. But he has a long way to go before essaying a cop's role, funny or otherwise. In a nutshell, the movie shone in parts but simply failed to engage after 1 hour..Basil, pls make up for this in your next one, I'll continue to swear by Malayalam movies with the likes of you around..5 stars for you and some of the funny characters in the toddy shop and the cinematography.

While it may not stand out as one of the mentionable entries among Malayalam thrillers, it does have a few clever tricks up its sleeves, particularly the detailing went into the execution of the "murder," which will surely deliver some delightful surprises for the susceptible audience.

However, the primary issue in the script lies in its blunt predictability.

For those well accustomed to Malayalam cinema and its conventions specifically within the space of thrillers, the identity of the culprit becomes apparent long before the final reveal.

Not to mention, Integrating a renowned figure among the suspects tends to give away the outcome more often than not, making it an easy, calculated deduction, especially when other personalities on board lack adequate materials in terms of their narratives and backstories.

--- A film with no proper purpose, the sad part is that it had lots of potential to be great with that talented cast and they could have made the film focus more on comedy or just thriller, it tried to bind both of these genres together and it just didn't work. It's a great combo if done right but here the film falters due to an inconsistent screenplay, bad dialogues and poor direction.

One thing I have got to give credit for is the cinematography and the score done by Shyju Khalid and Vishnu Vijay respectively. Overall the film was very forgettable and a very below average experience for me.

Rating - 3.25/5

A satirical investigation drama on the backdrop of a countryside toddy shop in Thrissur.

The plot of the story is on a murder that happened inside the toddy shop and the hilarious events surrounding the investigation forms the base for the storyline.

Sreeraj has dealt the subject by blending light humour moments in the story. The story lost its grip in few areas in the first half and gets back on track after the intermission with some interesting developments. The detailing given to the modus-o-perandi in crime seems convincing but the way the entire story was layered felt wimpy.

Good performance by Basil Joseph as the investigative officer with his waggish mannerisms and witty laugh. Subtle performance of the character by Soubin. Impressive performances by Shivajith,Chemban Vinod,Chandini,Sabareesh Varma and few theatre artists who played the characters in the toddy shop.

Good Background score by Vishnu Vijay especially in the climax sequences.

A fair attempt by Sreeraj Sreenivasan with a distinctive narrative style.