AYYAPPANUM KOSHIYUM - Theatrical Review

Fresh off the success of Driving Licence which he wrote, Sachy reunites with Prithviraj for his sophomore directorial venture AK: Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Ayyappan & Koshy). Also in the lead is Biju Menon, with whom both Sachy and Prithvi had worked with in the former’s debut directorial, the Lakshadweep-set Anarkali. However, unlike Anarkali where the two played friends, AK has them having their sights trained at each other’s throats.

The film begins with a very drunk Koshi Kurian (Prithviraj), getting arrested at Attappadi, a liquor-free zone, en route to Ooty. And the SHO who registers the arrest happens to be SI Ayyappan Nair (Biju Menon), who is due for retirement in another year and having a spotless service record. The former pledges vengeance against the latter, and what gets started as the result of a petty temper tantrum thrown by an entitled a-hole, soon snowballs into a much bigger affair with significant sociopolitical impacts, thanks to the machinations of Kurian John (Director-actor Ranjith, who co-produced the film), the ex-politician Dad of Koshy who considers himself an apex predator with an unquestionable right to devour the less privileged. And yes, apart from being the entitled brat, the retired soldier Koshy also happens to be an overgrown man-child with major daddy issues that prevent him from doing what’s right. Ayyappan, on the other hand, is the dutiful cop who forever remains respectful towards the system, but is forced to wake up the dormant monster within, when push has finally come to shove.

Like Driving Licence, AK too focuses on the two leads and their never-ending attempts to one-up each other. However, what primarily sets the two films poles apart are the motives and the milieu. In DL, the setting is completely urban, and the tussle is nothing more than a battle of bruised egos caused due to communication gap and misunderstanding. On the other hand, AK’s geography is as rural as it gets, and of course, it is Koshy who, purely out of jealousy and spite, sparks the fire. What truly makes AK superior to DL though, is that it is a very politically charged affair and does touch upon quite a few sensitive topics – the choice of location itself, for starters - without shoving those down the audience’s throats. And AK would perhaps be the very first film where the ages-old feudal anti-hero vs the cop cliché gets flipped: for a change, the cop here is heroic and rational (and so are his colleagues), and the anti-hero – essentially, Prithviraj reprising his character from Thanthonni – happens to be downright villainous, that is until certain realizations start dawning upon him.

Even though it’s 170 minutes long, the film whizzes by without a moment of lag, thanks to the engaging performances and the evenly paced editing, courtesy of the veteran Ranjan Abraham. Also crucial to the thrills and the chills is the thumping background score by Jakes Bejoy, who fuses Attappadi’s native tribal beats with sparse studio arrangements. He imbues the same sensibility to his three songs – placed appropriately – in the film.The cinematography by now-three-film-old Sudeep Elamon effortlessly captures the beauty and rawness of the locality as well as the people. The big climactic brawl is as brutally realistic as it should be (but within the limits of ‘U’ rating), considering the fact that this is where the almost 3-hour long build up leads the audience to. And after Anjaam Pathiraa, the Sound Factor guys Sree Shankar and Vishnu Govind go in for the kill with yet another cracker of a Dolby Atmos mix, this time a very relentless and rustic one.

Apart from the two sparring leads, AK also boasts of a bevy of strong supporting players in the cast. Anil Nedumangad, who had already proven his mettle as the despicable baddie in Kammattipaadam, gets to shine here as CI Sathish, Ayyappan’s immediate superior who, while being supportive of Ayyappan, tries his best to contain the very explosive situations arising out of the tiff. And so do the other actors playing Ayyappan’s subordinates, with special mention to the ones who play Jessie and Sujith. Ranjith looks mean as hell playing Kurian John, but his performance comes across as a little bit theatrical, with unwanted emphasis on dramatic pauses in dialogues. While Anna Rajan is okay as Koshy’s docile wife, it is Gauri Nanda who makes quite an impact as Kannamma, Ayyappan’s much younger wife, hailing from a tribal family and rebellious enough to be branded a Maoist. Also making an impression is Ramesh Kottayam as Kumaran, Koshy’s fiercely loyal driver, who secretly loathes the guy’s wayward ways. However, the film could have opted for someone else to portray the DYSP character.

And onto AK themselves: Prithviraj hasn’t shied away from portraying baddies in the past, and here too, he plays what essentially is the villain of the story. However, in what seems to be a brutal deconstruction of his bygone “massy” roles, he manages to make the punchline-spouting Koshy gradually reduce himself into a punchline, by turning him vulnerable, and having his defenses stripped off in the course of the film. On the other hand, Biju Menon deftly underplays Ayyappan, the affable cop eventually made hostile by the circumstances (and Koshy), who prefers brute force to mere words. Majority of the film has the duo facing off each other, contributing to the film's biggest gasps as well as laughs.

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TRANCE - Theatrical Review

Let me state the very obvious: Fahadh Faasil is a frickin’ chameleon. And the actor gets his finest hour in the form of Trance, director Anwar Rasheed’s long-gestating project written by debutant Vincent Vadakkan. The film itself deserves kudos for tackling a very controversial subject – as evidenced by CBFC’s now-bypassed mandate to cut around 17 minutes – and is bound to create ripples in the days to come.

Kicking off on a rather low note in Kanyakumari, the film follows Viju Prasad, a motivational trainer struggling to make ends meet, yet persistent in dreaming big. However, after a shocking turn of events, he relocates to Mumbai, where he gets to meet two shady business tycoons. The duo offer him a chance to make it big, and thus the atheistic Viju Prasad becomes Pastor Joshua Carlton, the Miracle Worker capable of healing any ailment - be it fever or cancer - with the power of prayers (as well as Hollywood-grade theatrics). Of course, the “patients” happen to be professionally trained actors, strategically planted in the thousands-strong crowds for the pastor to pick and “heal”. And yes, within the blink of an eye, Pastor JC - pun very much intended, and alluded to within the film -  forms a cult of his own across the globe, amassing billions along the way. But, as with every other shady deal, the faith-healing business too involves the devil himself, and thus begins Viju’s descent into paranoia. 

As seen above, Viju Prasad a.k.a Joshua Carlton is there, front and center, throughout the film, and watching Fahadh perform as this very complex character, one can’t help but be transfixed, lost in…  the trance. The actor gets his own Scarface here - with cocaine replaced by a much deadlier drug: religion - but unlike the consistently LOUUUD Pacino, he opts for a very layered, physical performance that ranges all the way from the subtle to the gallery-pleasing (yet keeping the loudness in check). Quoting one of the film’s characters: “If you call this acting, then this fella deserves the biggest of all the awards.”

And coming to Anwar Rasheed himself: anyone who has watched only his commercial potboilers - Rajamanikyam, Chotta Mumbai, Annan Thambi and of course, Ustad Hotel - would be in for quite a few shocks with this one, as he operates entirely out of his perceived comfort zone here. Unlike those previous films, Trance doesn’t aim to please the crowds with broad comedy, “mass” elements or feel-good drama, instead opting for visual storytelling and a matter-of-fact tone to explore the psyche of its protagonist. Yes, the film clocks in a bit too long at 170 minutes and the post-interval block does briefly test one’s patience, but the way he deftly keeps his target audience engaged for the most part is commendable, especially considering the fact that there was no bound script in place. By the way, those who have watched his shorts - the anthology segments Bridge (from Kerala Café) and Aami (from 5 Sundarikal) - wouldn’t be as surprised, since Trance is indeed a feature-length extension of the storytelling sensibilities used in those. 

Coming to the cast,  Trance boasts of a terrific supporting ensemble, complete with numerous familiar faces making cameo appearances. Apart from Fahadh himself, the only character who is present throughout the film would be Avarachan, the ruthless mentor to Viju Prasad and later, the scheming manager to Pastor JC, and Dileesh Pothen has all the right notes hit for this very puzzling character. Nazriya, a.k.a. Mrs. Fahadh appears post interval as the hard-drinking pothead Esther Lopez, obviously a far cry from the bubbly girls she has portrayed till date. However, the character, despite the actress’ spirited performance, seems shoehorned in, and does serve as a speedbreaker in the narrative when it briefly shifts to her POV. Gautham Menon makes an assured debut in Malayalam as Solomon, the primary antagonist, along with Chemban Vinod who plays Isaac, his partner. Vinayakan, Sreenath Bhasi and Soubin Shahir play memorable characters who, despite their limited presence, significantly impact the narrative at several junctures. 

Stepping away from the director’s chair and back into solely wielding the camera after a long time, cinematographer Amal Neerad holds his horses and initially opts for a muted and earthy tone, only to gradually replace it with his trademark neon-lit style before going all-out psychedelic, just as Pastor JC’s evolution is complete. The various lighting, framing and lensing choices he makes throughout the film are bold and hitherto unseen, at least in Malayalam cinema.  Adding to the richness is Resul Pookutty’s all-encompassing and occasionally disorienting sound design, best experienced in its original Dolby Atmos mix. Jackson Vijayan’s songs mostly serve as part of the score, though ”Jaalame” is used brilliantly as the backdrop for Pastor JC’s stage debut. Sushin Shyam and Jackson Vijayan team up to lend further grandeur to the trance, in the form of their astounding background score. The film’s edited by Praveen Prabhakar in sync with its theme, though the film starts dragging quite a bit post the intermission. Last but not the least, those massive and kinetic sermon sequences deserve special mention, for they are incredibly complex to pull off sans any hitch, and everyone involved - the director, the DP, the sound man, the stunt coordinator, the lead and of course, the appropriately hysterical junior artistes - should take a bow for achieving the impossible.

All said and done, Anwar Rasheed and his team deserve credit for going for an uncompromisingly experimental and satirical take on a gravely serious subject, and for extracting what happens to be the career-best performance from its much-celebrated leading man. Even more kudos for Mr. Rasheed for pouring his own money to bring his passion project to fruition, considering its very polarizing subject and treatment.

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