Aarkkariyam

What if Georgekutty in Drishyam was forced to hide the crime from his family too? This is, in pop culture terms, the question put forward by Aarkkariyam, directed by reputed cinematographer Sanu John Varghese (in his debut), starring Biju Menon, Sharafudheen, and Parvathy Thiruvothu. But it doesn't directly get to this point at the start of the film. Aarkkariyam is essentially a drama that unfurls at an unhurried pace, slowly establishing characters, their relationships, and texture. It remains so entirely, even with that somewhat shocking reveal mid-way. The acoustic guitar score reinstates this in the second half. Writers Rajesh Ravi and Arun Janardanan (alongside Sanu) place the story in contemporary, pandemic times. While the pandemic is what drives certain decisions in the film, it never accelerates the pace or pushes it into thriller territory.

The thrills, if any, are relegated to the characters' inner psyches. Aarkkariyam becomes a study of sorts in the latter half, delving deeper into the characters of Ittyavira (Biju Menon) and Roy (Sharafudheen), with Sherly (Parvathy) becoming slightly less significant as she is unaware of said twisty revelation. What I liked is how the film doesn't turn overly melodramatic (or spiritual) at any point - the emotional transitions are subtle. The cast really elevates the okayish script - Biju Menon rises to the occasion as Ittyavira portraying the right body language of a septuagenarian while Sharafudheen handles the curious scenes with ease. Parvathy is effective but as mentioned, her character occupies a lesser space as the film progresses to its climax.

The character Roy juggles between Malayalam, Hindi, and English (prominently in the first half) - probably in an attempt to picture him as a longtime resident of Mumbai - but the English lines especially come off as jarring. Were these dialogues in English integral to the plot or the character in any way? Not so sure. The locales (just like in Joji) and aesthetics are a definite plus - the house, the tall rubber trees all around, the pond, even the dogs eagerly waiting for leftovers every night - all of it sticks. It's a notable debut indeed, and I'll watch out for Sanu's next!

A good movie with some incredible perfomances.

Aarkkariyam was a slow paced realistic movie, The major highlight of this movie was the role of Ittiyavara played by Biju Menon. He just nailed it. Parvathy and Sharaf-U-Dheen also gives an impressive performance. Cinematography and Music are nice, But it would have been more better if the writing had been improved. That would have made the film even clearer.

Who Knows??

Just God Knows It All.

It is the solid attention to details and the lack of spoon-feeding that impressed me in Aarkkariyam (Who Knows), a slow-burning drama with a hint of mystery thrown midway. Biju Menon one-ups (as he seems to be doing after every other film) as he shines in a character at least two decades more than his real age, playing a father to a daughter who he loves to the moon and back. Both Sharafudheen and Parvathy play their parts really well, and together the performances enhance the overall appeal, not to mention the vivid shots. 7 stars.

Good make over and good performance of Biju Menon. Parvathy and Sharafudin also acted well. All characters are real and emotions are connectable.

Good shocker punch at interval.

But the movie is super slow and at times tests patients It also doesn't have much to offer story wise.

Aarkkariyam (transl. Who Knows) is a Biju Menon show through and through. A shaky, half-baked script with not enough depth is held together and made watchable purely due to his compelling performance as an ageing patriarch.

Sharaf U Deen and Parvathy star as a down-on-their-luck couple who relocate from Mumbai to Kerala due to their financial woes. The trials and tribulations they face as they try to sell off their ancestral property forms the rest of the story.

While the first half is a fun, aesthetically pleasing watch with enough intrigue, the second half reduces to a damp squib due to poor writing, leading up to a mediocre conclusion.

Much like Manju Warrier in the Priest, Parvathy's role is barely noticeable and criminally under-written. More screen time for Biju Menon and a tighter, edgier screenplay could have made this interesting premise into a thrill ride.

Watch it for a top performance from Biju Menon. He plays an aged man with grace and nuance, nailing the mannerisms, body language and even the tonality of a stereotypical 'Pala achayan'.

The movie overall, however, is very average.