Falimy Review | A Well-Written Dysfunctional Family Drama With Just the Right Amount of Humor

From the trailer, promotion materials, and even the title, it was kind of evident that Nithish Sahadev’s debut directorial, Falimy, is a dysfunctional family drama. What was to be seen was how they packaged it, and whether it had that entertainment quotient one expects to see in a big-screen comedy. With moments unfolding very gradually and the script having hilarious moments along with emotionally unsettling bits here and there, Falimy, starring Basil Joseph, is an extremely satisfying fun entertainer with depth and nuances.

The story is happening in the family of an 82-year-old veteran named Janardhanan. He has this wish to go to Varanasi alone, but every time he sneaks out of that house, someone will give the information to the family members, and he will get brought back to the house. What we see in the movie Falimy, is one trip the whole family decides to take to Varanasi when they all felt like they needed a break from things happening in their respective lives.

Spoilers Ahead! There are two scenes in the movie that actually stayed with me for a single reason. There is a bit in the film when the family in search of Janardhanan mistakenly finds another man. Conveying the miscommunication through just shots and expressions, Nithish Sahadev makes sure it will make us laugh out loud. But in the very next moment, the movie looks at that man empathetically, and it creates a beautiful moment. Towards the very end of the film, when Janardhanan’s son realizes that his father is fine, the predominant emotion is humor, but we can see a glimpse of relief in his eyes for a second. And there is a police station scene where the inspector checks whether they are a legit family by calling from one person’s phone to another. All these peripherally hilarious bits in the movie actually help it a lot in humanizing the characters and making them relatable.

Basil Joseph, as Anoop, the elder son, plays the hilarious bit superbly in his typical style. With each movie, he is becoming a lot more subtle with his expressions and voice modulation, especially in delivering humor. Even in the serious or emotional bits, the reaction feels authentic. Jagadish, as the father Chandran, was fun and believable as that man who sort of failed in life. Manju Pillai, as the woman who co-ordinates the chaotic family, was also terrific, and the loudness of that character was optimum. Sandeep Pradeep, who plays the role of the youngest kid, was also impressive, and I loved how he delivered counter-dialogues without even a second of pause. Meenaraj Palluruthy, who played the pivotal character of the grandfather, was so fun to watch, and you empathize with that character in those occasional moments of shock.

Nithish Sahadev, who has co-written this movie with Sanjo Joseph, knows the fact that he is not entering an unexplored territory. In fact, the mood of the humor in this movie at times reminded me of the treatment we saw in Jan-e-man, which was also produced by Cheers Entertainment. The script has a very organic flow from one event to another, and even the placement of a mere comedy scene that subconsciously registers a chappal in our head gets to have significance towards the end. Every scene has a link with one another, and the narrative sort of keeps us excited about what is about to happen. The OTT favoring aspect ratio actually works for this movie as the film uses a lot of static shots to demonstrate the character equations. The music by Vishnu Vijay offers a wide variety, and each track blends in really well.

Falimy is a fun film that has its heart in the right place. The movie’s transition from one space to another, with occasional moments of emotional numbness and a continuous flow of genuine humor makes it an entertainer that puts a smile on your face. With optimum writing, a lot of wits, and impressive performances, Falimy is definitely worth your time.