Take Off

Take Off (2017):

Take Off is inspired by the real-life rescue of Indian nurses who were stranded in Tikrit, Iraq, during the country's civil war in 2014.Starring one of my favorite actress Parvathy Menon,I had huge expectations on this film.So how is it?

Plot:

Sameera (Parvathy Thiruvoth) is a 31-year-old nurse who is being forced by her circumstances to take a job in Iraq.She is a divorcée and has an eight-year-old son,but that's not a problem at all for Shahid (Kunchacko Boban),her colleague, who is ready to accompany her to the troubled land. Sameera accepts to marry him, in yet another attempt to keep her and her closed ones' life afloat.But when they land in Iraq,things starts getting worse.

Plus Points:

1)Performances: Parvathy plays Sameera with the sense of perfection she is known for. The agonies of a woman caught caught up in a cobweb of personal, professional and even international crises come alive on screen through her.Definitely an award winning performance.Kunchacko pulls a restrained and subtle performance as Shahid, who also serves as the undying ray of hope in Sameera's life.Fahadh is show-stealer in second half.His expressions of contempt and impudence at his senior officials add a few doses of heroism in the film.

2)Screenplay and Direction: Editor-turned-filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan's debut directorial is exceptional.With the story being familiar, the challenge awaiting the director was presenting the plot in an engaging manner, taking cinematic liberties. And Mahesh along with co-scriptwriter PV Shajikumar does it with aplomb.Never once does it slack – despite the first half being a drama. The director also ensures that in between the taut screenplay, the movie addresses the plight of nurses who travel abroad seeking employment to pay off loans, to take care of their family and for better prospects even if it means putting their lives on the line.

So,Take Off is another worth watching film of Malayalam with terrific performances and engaging screenplay.

My rating 7.5/10

I was in for a surprise. I found the trailer good but the movie just blew my mind. From the initial scenes of character nurse Sameera's pain as she struggles between motherhood, a divorce, night shifts and also the tension to get a job in Iraq to the later scenes where she witnesses horribly injured patients at an Iraqi hospital and then the nightmare of ISIS terrorists who hold her & her colleagues hostage are shown brilliantly. Parvathy is near flawless as Sameera and hope she gets another state award for her performance. Kunchacko Boban as her husband and Fahadh Fasil as an Indian Embassy officer are the other major characters in the movie and they both deliver very well. This movie may draw comparisons with the Bollywood movie Airlift released last year due to similar theme of Indians caught in a war zone in Middle East. I'd say both are very good in their own way although each has some flaws too. What I'd remember Take Off for is Parvathy's performance and also many of the tense scenes that involve the terrorists. They get seared into your brain long after the movie is over. But as this movie is only inspired by true events, some of the liberties taken with the story fail to convince in few scenes. Also, the reaction of Fahadh's character to the news that his decision saved some of the Indians from an explosion on a road is quite cinematic, it almost mocks the deaths of the other nationalities caught in that tragedy. But these are somewhat minor flaws in an otherwise masterfully made movie of hope and the will to endure any crisis. I think it's a must see.

Appreciate the effort by the producers to bring this very relevant real-life story to the mass. The movie has vividly portrayed the resilience of the nurses (and malayalees in general), the seriousness of the situation and avoiding the cliche that the antagonists are straight from hell. Beyond that the movie is a criticism to the Kerala society's disrespect to nurses (salary) while even terrorists in a war torn country could value them more.

Mostly done well, at times I felt the pace too slow or fast. Acting is mostly done well with good performance from Parvathy. Kunchacko Boban's role was totally unnecessary though he acted ok.

Worth watching. Great acting by Parvaty Menon. Based on real story.

Take Off (2017) : Brief Review -

A Classic Evacuation Drama with Emotional Intelligence. What Bollywood's 'Airlift' missed, Take Off has got it alright. Since Hollywood's 'Argo' won Oscars, this evacuation theme got rolling. Bollywood made a spy thriller 'Baby' which had lots of similarities with that and then Raja Menon's evacuation drama 'Airlift' staged it in decent manners. However, the actual potential of emotional and patriotic quotient was not matched by Airlift and it has really bothered me since then. Now, i am very glad to have seen Malayalam Drama 'Take Off' which has matched a certain level of potential and expectations with engrossing human elements. In 2014, a group of Malayali nurses was captured when terrorists took over the city of Tikrit in Iraq. This movie recounts the ordeal suffered by the nurses following their capture. The film looks little offtrack in the begining, not just the beginning but the entire first half is used just to set the things up before the capture. I still think that was not needed but then i have to give a credit for creating a bond between those 3 characters of Husband, his pregnant wife and her son. So, it's like you get to see a family drama in the first half and then thrilling evacuation drama in the second half. The film is powered by the incredible performances of Parvathy Thiruvothu, Kunchacko Boban and Fahadh Faasil. The screenplay is terrific in the second half, the dialogue are fine, cinematography is excellent and Mahesh Narayan's direction is super nice. He crafts a good story with smart conflicts, that's the only thing Airlift missed after directorial genius. Overall, Take Off is a must watch experience. It's high on emotions, passion, reliability and most importantly it has those much needed goosebumps moments coming at right time in right form. Don't miss it.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.