If you are reading this, then I congratulate you for religiously following Malayalam cinema, as this comedy drama was forgotten immediately after it released sometime in March 2016.
Three friends - a rickshaw driver, a painter, and a small-time chef - live together in a rented place. Each one of them are currently courting a girl of their interest and think have reached a point where they can contemplate marriage. However, one by one, they realize that things are not as favorable as they thought, and begin to experience rejection or betrayal. While this forms the crux of the film, it also mildly touches on the topic of West Bengal natives living and working in Kerala, which has lately become a subject used to create humor in Malayalam films.
There is an honest effort to narrate a story here, of three youngsters who are on the verge of personal financial meltdown and yet who give utmost importance to their romantic lives. This a condition most young men/women go through in this changing times. The screenplay has enough material to attract a serious cinema enthusiast, and succeeds in maintaining the decorum by not banking on cheap tricks or humorless jokes. However, there is still enough content to agitate a feminist as sequences created to satiate the male gaze is in full display throughout.
How the people of Kerala perceive West Bengalis is a minor subject incorporated in the narrative. Often branded as terrorists and mischief-makers, all Bengalis are expected to work as construction workers. That perception has to change, and the film tries to request that to its audience.
The cast do a decent job at enacting these common characters. Happy to see Maqbool Salmaan doing films despite experiencing perennial failure. Direction and writing is smooth, except for the stray, unnecessary humor that reduces the film's decency. Overall, don't go by the name of the cast, because this one is a watchable creation of a story that should be consumed.
BOTTOM LINE: Sennan's "Appuram Bengal Ippuram Thiruvithamkoor" is an honest effort mostly because it tells an appealing story and has a moral or two for its audience. Rent a DVD.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
