Natholi Oru Cheriya Meenalla

Anurag Kashyap has once said that it is impossible to make a film that convinces every one. You have to make the film that satisfy you and find the right audience. The problem with V K Prakash’s Natholi Oru Cheriya Meenalla is that the correct audience for the movie is quite limited. NOCM is a movie that tries to narrate the emotions of a frustrated writing talent in a sarcastic way but disturbingly it never comes to a level that is easily approachable for a viewer.

Preman is a normal middle class man who is interested in writing and he aspired to become an associate of many directors. But sadly he couldn’t make it large and with some personal influences he manages to live in Cochin as the care taker of a flat. He is frustrated for being under estimated by the people in the flat and at a point he is treated very badly for something that was not his intention. A humiliated Preman tries to take a weird kind of revenge on the people in the flat through his writing. The movie is a journey through the revenge of Preman where he creates an imaginary character Narendran and uses all his intuitions about the people around him to create a story that satisfies him.  How this character goes out of the hands of Preman and how it influences him is what awaiting you in the cinema hall.

Well the practical portion of the movie (first half) is quite hilarious for its sarcasm on the entire society and all. The humor Shanker Ramakrishnan generates through the dialogs and situations is quite genuine. But as the movie progresses, the movie’s accessibility gets reduced and the fun is restricted to a particular class of viewers.

On screen, Fahad is brilliant in both avatars and the transformation from the idiotic Preman to Cool Narendran is something that should be appreciated. Kamalini did her part nicely and I don’t consider her role as challenging. Breezy role for Rima. The famous tele serial actor Mukundan gets a fair role in the movie and he manages to entertain the audience. Sathar, P Balachandran and Aishwarya did their part neatly.

In the making, V K P continues his signature style and I liked the way he conceived this plot. On the writing side, Shanker Ramakrishnan’s sarcasm is really unique and most of the time he manages to make the audience laugh. He even narrates the whole process of writing in a sensible way like how a plot is constructed, character shades etc. But when it came to the writing of Preman he closes the doors for many people. The portions where Narendaran and Preman conflicts, lacks the required punch.  Cuts are fine and the cinematography also is satisfying.  BGM from Bijibal supports the movie heavily and the music is also soothing.

On the whole Natholi Oru Cheriya Meen Alla demands a writer in you. If you have any experience in literature, this experimental film will keep you engaged otherwise it may test your logic. Acknowledging the performance of Fahad Fazil and the freshness in theme, I am giving this movie a 3/5. It’s a brave attempt but average product.

By Aswin Bharadwaj

Founder and editor of Lensmen Reviews.

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