The colorful posters,refreshing lead pairs and the bitter fact that there weren't better choices played their part as I decided to try out this small-budget flick for this lazy Friday evening that was unusually hot and humid.The critic reviews post release were not much encouraging and thus the expectations were kept low,all for a good reason.
The basic premise of the movie dates back to the 80s and reminds us of numerous village-based family dramas featuring actors of the likes of Jagadeesh and Sidddiq that were based upon the themes of ego clash,jealousy and broken relationships between close pals or siblings.The positive thing here is that even though the basic plot is vintage the relevance hasn't been lost,the reason why the movie could connect with me,being inspired from a true lethal incident that happened some months back in the capital city of Trivandrum.
The screenplay by Krishna Poojappura has managed to rework the 'old vine' convincingly (atleast,upto an extent) into the present scenario utilizing natural humor which act as the saving grace in an otherwise monotonous narration.Direction by newcomer Jayan K Nair was OK even though he lost his grip halfway through the narration.
The first half is quiet breezy and intriguing,wowen with fun-filled conversations involving the lead pairs.It must be noted that the the chemistry between the lead actors was very good and played an important role in making the narration lively and interesting.
Its the second hour that feels a bit shoddy and lack-luster being unable to instill the momentum as the iintial portions did.There were few sequences that were over-stretched and downright avoidable.The climax portions were on the lower side and the message inducing speech towards the end lacked the necessary punch that was expected.
The dedicated performances from the cast especially the lead four was notable.Sanju Sivram was the surprise package and managed to pull out a pretty impressive performance as RJ Jerry.Vinay Fort did his part well and impressed with his peculiar style of dialogue delivery.Both the lead ladies were good and played their roles well.Joju George,Soubin Shahir,Mukesh etc were good.Aju Varghees's cameo went well.
Technical aspects of the movie were fine.Songs by Masala Coffee and Deepankuren didn't make much impact.The choreography of the songs were good.Background music by Gopi Sunder was okayish.The art dirction team did their part well.
Overall,Hello Namasthe is a strictly average small-budget timepass-flick that's worth a watch for its decent humor & hearty performances.
