If you look at the script of the new Vasudev Sanal film Andhakaara, one thing will be pretty sure. The script has pretty much nothing that makes the movie worth making. The only way for the movie to create any sort of impact is through either scale or performance. But by compromising precisely on these two areas, Andhakaara easily qualifies itself as a torturous film for the audience.
So, the movie basically revolves around two characters. Aravind, a taxi driver, is going through some financial issues and needs some money in bulk for his kid’s treatment. Then we have a doctor named Fidha, who has some connections with the organ trading mafia. What we see in Andhakaara is the series of events that happened when the paths of these two crossed.
The movie’s writing that thinks it has managed to grab the audience’s attention from scene one is actually the movie’s problem. The concept and writing of the film are extremely outdated, and to make things worse, you have actors overdoing it at every point making it almost comical. Major characters are sort of given a History of Violence kind of backstory, and when the transition happens, all you can do is facepalm.
Divya Pillai plays the role of Fidha in the film, and the performance is underwhelming. How she shifts from fake expressions to being a dreaded criminal looks really odd. Anthony Henry, the debutant who plays the part of Aravind, is really struggling to make a good impression, and like I already said, when he is made to do this mass hero-like transformation, it is unintentionally funny worth doing a roast. Chandhunadh is there as an important character, but the pitch of his performance was really weird. Dheeraj Denny, Marina Michael, Vinod Sagar, etc., are the other names in the cast.
Vasudev Sanal, who has previously made films like Priyam and Gods Own County, has taken a very lazy approach in the packaging of this film. The script has a very outdated approach towards situations and the way characters approach those situation. Because of the lackluster writing I almost laughed when the hero’s wife talked about the health condition of their daughter and also the “helping” mentality of the hero. The movie’s cinematography tries to place the camera at really odd places like inside the steering, fridge, drawer, etc., and apparently for no reason. The cuts are kind of frequent, almost making me wonder whether the editor decided to insert a cut just to show the world that he has done something.
The most entertaining thing about the movie was its end. The audacity and confidence of the makers to announce a sequel to this tacky film was an unexpected twist. It has become a trend these days to announce sequels at the end and frankly, most of the movies that came with that strategy of late have been underwhelming.
PS: I have a request to the makers of this movie and similar other movies who give free tickets to random individuals to make the show happen. It is indeed a good thing that you bought the tickets for your own movie, for the show to not get canceled. But please tell the folks who are coming for the film with those free tickets that there are other people who are there to watch the movie rather than to chill with their friends inside an air-conditioned space. Theater etiquette, basically.
The concept and writing of the film are extremely outdated, and to make things worse, you have actors overdoing it at every point making it almost comical.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
