Bangalore Days

Two things that slightly scared me about Bangalore Days was its humongous star cast and of course the run time of 172 minutes. But to my surprise, none of the 7 lead stars in the film were irrelevant and you will never get bored in this lengthy movie that has fun, sarcasm, humor, sentiments, love and that rebellious passion. With a script that is alive throughout the film, Bangalore Days from Anjali Menon is a fun ride that will stay with you for a long time.

The story revolves around the three cousins. Divya, Arjun (Aju) and Kuttan (Krishnan) are the central protagonists. With Divya getting married to Das who is settled in Bangalore and Kuttan getting posted in Bangalore after his training, the three cousins plans to have a rocking time in the garden city. But its life and it won’t go your way and the three friends had to face their own share of difficulties in this journey. For Divya it is the new phase of life, for Kuttan it is the family and the new corporate life and for Aju its passion and love. How it all culminates in a happy knot is what this film narrating.

It is definitely Anjali Menon’s writing that carries the whole film in that entertaining and enlightening zone. If Usthad Hotel had more share of that self-realization part, here Anjali has flipped it. The content has all the elements of passion and many other emotions but it is narrated in that fun filled cool way. For those who have seen Manjadikkuru knows how Anjali sees the good and bad of the Kerala tradition and here we can see that with a lot of sarcasm in the writing. She has utilized Kuttan and a share of Divya for establishing certain aspects of the previous generation. Aju is that rebel representative who follows his heart. The character offers a lot of humor when placed among the orthodox and was really amazing in those romantic side of the film which successfully establishes the soul mate idea. I just loved that scene where RJ Sarah says we lost Arjun and Aju stands just like that. Many minute friendship tweaks are there in the script that easily makes Bangalore Days the best movie to watch with your closest of friends.

Anjali Menon has done a terrific job as a director and writer. The dialogues are so natural that you won’t feel any drama in situations. She has picked the perfect actors to play the characters. As I said there is this coolness in treatments that doesn’t compromise in front of certain fake morality. There is a “Rock On” connection in the Divya story but I liked the way Anjali curved it to Aju’s life. She has made fun of almost all the mother characters in the film and I doubt the success of the film for that category of audience. The entry of Isha Talwar’s character was a bit too quick but the later portions justify the brittle relationship.   Lovely chemistry between the cousins. Fahadh Faasil’s revamped entry towards the climax with all those high fives is going to make the popcorn entertainment a delightful commercial package. Sameer Thahir has done a great job in the cinematography side. That glass painting sequence and that shot where Arjun steers the bike on air on winning were some shots I could easily recollect. Loved the artwork, especially that wall art Aju created for Sarah. Gopi Sundar scores again with the music department.

On screen, Dulquer Salmaan shines as that rebel Arjun who is loved by very few. Actor conveys the aggression, passion and that special bonding with the RJ nicely. Nazriya also did an impressive job as Divya. Nivin Pauly was that likeable duffer who transforms sensibly during the course. Many facebook photo comments with Cute Kuttan are going to release as soon as the DVD releases.   Really good performance from Fahadh as the introvert Das. Paravathy Menon was delightful as the RJ. Small roles for Isha Talwar and Nithya Menen. Memorable performances by Maniyanpilla Raju, Vijayaraghavan, Kalpana (hilarious), Praveena, Prathap Pothen,  Vinaya Prasad and many more.

So Bangalore Days is that fun filled ride with an appealing content that is contemporary by all means. Finally, a movie that came with huge hype lived up to the expectation. I am giving 4/5 for Bangalore Days.   Go with your friends and have a great 3 hours. A special mention for the wonderful posters that sadly did not get much attention.