Radio

After watching the new Malayalam film Radio, I have a serious and sincere request to the society to stop harassment against women in any manner. Not because I am moved by the story, but because of the making which was such a headache and I don’t want to see any such mediocre film making. A theme based on the immoral sides of corporate culture, Radio is a feminist film that tries to question the male attitude which always demands purity in partner but grants the freedom to have any number of relationships to themselves.  Well the plot can be seen as a relevant, but sadly the making is too outdated and bizarrely dramatic.

The movie revolves around two girls Priya and Shwetha. Priya is the only hope of her family to clear all debts and other needs. With the help of a family friend she manages to get a job in a jewelry shop in Cochin. There she meets Shwetha who allows Priya to stay with her. Life goes on smooth for Priya until she realizes more facts about the immoral activities of her roommate to earn money. Shwetha has a close friend Manu who also uses her in these deals out of desperation. The movie is about the decisions made by these individuals, the problems faced by them and how they manage to get out of these bad remarks.

The outdated making style and the script filled with melodramatic dialogs makes the movie a tiring watch. The first half tries to showcase the innocence of Priya and desperation of Shwetha. In the second half, the makers are in total confusion in terms of supporting which kind of ethics. The only area that made me smile was the dialog by the doctor character played by Thalaivasal Vijay, which teases the male attitude towards pre marital relationships. The humor they tried to add was totally out of order. The police station scene was a totally bizarre execution.

Direction as I said is outdated and the script is too clumsy and confused at times. Cinematography is poor and the BGM is exaggerated and misplaced. Music is satisfactory.

On screen Sarayu and Iniya are just about satisfactory. But they can’t perform well in the emotional sequences. Nishan is somewhat ok, but the dramatic dialogs limit his acting. Thalai Vasal Vijay impresses with acting, but his self dubbing spoils the feel. Irshad, Jayakrishnan, Kochu Preman, Thesni Khan and Maniyan Pilla Raju did their part neatly.

On the whole, this movie can is a test of patience at most of the occasions. I am giving 1.5/5 for this feministic film. An interesting question was there, but sadly this Radio can’t detect the frequency required to impress the audience.