As an idea, Aalankam feels almost like what if something like Drishyam was made with the sensibility of a short film. The flaw with this creation is that it never really manages to be that captivating thriller which would create curiosity in you. With a stretched-out screenplay that consistently drains out the excitement from the concept, Aalankam is a lost opportunity to create a solid thriller.
Two girls go missing on a fine evening, and their parents file a missing complaint at the same police station. On investigating, police found out that there was a connection between the two missing cases as both of them seemed to have the involvement of two serial offenders in that region. What happened to those two girls and how they were connected with these goons is what we see in Aalankam.
The idea of a tweaked justice where ultimately bad guys are punished and the good ones are protected is being followed here. But the issue is with the staging of that idea. The stereotypical goons and the clichéd way of depicting personal hurdles makes the movie underwhelming in the initial phases. And when they try to make it this thriller with too many lucky coincidences, the convenience oriented tweaking is happening excessively and that takes away the wow factor.
Lukman, as Pookkal, looks convincing as the menacing goon. Still, occasionally, his attitude in dialogue rendering feels a bit overdone. Gokulan on the other hand, got into the skin of the character and delivered a really impressive portrayal. Jaffar Idukki gets to play this family man with moral dilemma and the actor was extremely good in pulling off that character. Sharanya Nair as the missing girl, also managed to deliver a convincing performance. Sudhi Koppa as the police officer, may have screen time, but the significance of that character is pretty less.
Shani Khader who has written movies like My Great Grandfather and Seconds, is not trying to set up a hasty project. But the thriller genre has evolved so much over the years. And with exposure to various other languages thrillers accessible to the audience, Shani’s script feels like an abstract and inspired mix of all the familiar ingredients. The inability to surprise the viewer with something that never crossed their minds is the problem with Aalankam. The writing is trying to stretch out scenes with little purpose, and I am talking about a movie that’s only 109 minutes long.
Aalankam is an interesting thought that never really took off due to a making that never elevated the idea to a gripping one. With a lot more fine-tuning on a script level, this thriller could have been a fascinating theatrical experience. With the playback speed in your control, this one might get the consolation prize from the audience after the OTT release.
With the playback speed in your control, this one might get the consolation prize from the audience after the OTT release.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
