Aamir Pallikkal’s new movie after Manju Warrier starrer Ayisha, Extra Decent, has a very peculiar premise and a very interesting central conflict. The uniqueness of the conflict in the movie is giving way to a lot of humorous bits. But the film is struggling to find a shape in totality. While the eccentric psycho act of Suraj Venjaramood is entertaining, the movie lingers on him for a little too long. So, on the whole, ED, aka Extra Decent, feels like an underdeveloped script that had great potential to be a fun rollercoaster ride.
Binu is our central character. He is this introverted, obedient, shy guy who lives with his parents. His childhood has not been that great as he was always scolded by his father, and his father considered him a loser. Things take a drastic turn when Binu realizes something about his parents that has a connection with a traumatic episode in his childhood. The changes that happen in the family dynamics post this incident are what we see in ED, aka Extra Decent.
From the trailer itself, it is clear that ED is a psycho story. The story by Ashif Kakkodi actually tries to demolish a lot of glorified concepts. The film is in that dark humor space, and they are unapologetically making characters selfish. There is no empathy here on a screenplay level, and hence, we are not seeing the script take anyone’s side. The orthodox mindset of the hero is getting exposed, the silliness of his vengeance is visible, and the reason that triggers Binu in the movie itself is a sarcastic take on our idea of morality and grief. These thematic elements are occasionally popping up, and it happens whenever the movie starts to feel like it’s stretching too much.
With that clean-shaven look, Suraj Venjaramood transforms into this unique psycho very convincingly. His acting in some of those scenes, which the character of Binu stages meticulously, is fun to watch, and the tone shifts in his performance are not overdone. The “such a nice guy” outlook he gives to the character doesn’t really have a caricature tone, and yet when his expression changes, you laugh. Sudheer Karamana plays the role of the panicking father in his usual style. Vinaya Prasad, with the dubbing of Sreeja Ravi, was able to pull off the soft-looking yet remorseless mother convincingly. Grace Antony yet again gets this assertive character, and the actress has a knack for cracking it. Premalu fame Shyam Mohan was fine in the character assigned to him. Raffi makes his doctor character really memorable with those fun counter-dialogues. Vineeth Thattil David is also there in his typical style.
Aamir Pallikkal and Ashif Kakkodi have opted for an entirely different genre and treatment for their second venture. Extra Decent largely has interiors, and the cinematography tries to play with the wall colors and lensing of the interiors to maintain the eccentric tone of the film. On a writing level, the film has an inconsistent pacing. It’s like a mixture of generic and interesting beats from the beginning to the end. The dialogue humor and situational humor are what keep the movie afloat in the weak portions. The conflict that sort of breaks the conventions of responsible sons and selfless parents is what keeps us interested in the movie to know how they will find a solution to this messy situation. But like I said, the writing prefers to keep things at showing what the character could do rather than giving the story a fun-high ending.
Extra Decent, ED, is a film that is enjoyable in parts. The performance of Suraj Venjaramood, the humor that comes from the mood swings of the character, etc., keeps this movie in a curious zone. If the final act of the movie could have used the premise to deliver something more exciting than the chaotic comedy they pulled off, I think ED would have been much more entertaining and clutter-breaking.
If the final act could have used the premise to deliver something more exciting than the chaotic comedy they pulled off, I think ED would have been much more entertaining and clutter-breaking.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
