The conversations in the movie Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn, especially the ones between those in a tentative relationship, have a very organic flow with less theatrical nature. That makes this wannabe 96 from debutante Adhil Maimoonath Asharaf a nonboring drama. While the relatable nature of the story elements makes it easy for the eyes, the conflicts aren’t solid, and the solution is very convenient.
Jimmy is in his mid-30s, and there is a lot of pressure from the family as even his younger brother has gotten married. Jimmy, who is very close to his youngest sister Mariyam has plans to start a car showroom for vintage cars. The movie talks about the events that happen in Jimmy’s life when his school love Nithya coincidentally comes back into his life.
In the earlier portions of the film, Jimmy starts a conversation with Fida, a girl his family would love to see as his wife. The coolness of that conversation helps you find a connection with the movie almost immediately. The frankness of that relationship is evident whenever there is a laid-back conversation happening in the film. But the conflicts are somewhat weak. Fida, who was pretty mature till that point, changes abruptly like a possessive girlfriend just for the sake of an interval block. Post-interval also, whenever the film enters a dramatic space, it doesn’t have that intense feel.
Adhil Maimoonath Asharaf is really good at tackling cringe moments. He knows how to make it less cheesy; the openness never goes to that utopian level of being cool. The inability of the writing to create a compelling enough central conflict is the movie’s primary issue. The film’s final act has a lot to do with the toxic married life of Nithya, from which she wants a divorce. But after making her husband’s character a clever manipulator in those expositions, they present a classic caricature to you in the climax. Considering how manipulative partners are dangerous in a relationship, that representation and how that character shows his real side looked flat. Adhil himself has done the editing for the film. The rhythm-based edit pattern he applied to one song was interesting, even though it felt a bit annoying initially.
In her comeback film, Bhavana gets a character that has the scope to perform various emotions. The character arch is somewhere similar to what we saw Trisha do in 96. From being very cool, the character transitions to the vulnerable phases, and her performance is really convincing. It was actually Sharaf U Dheen who really surprised me with his performance as Jimmy. Jimmy has a major socializing issue, and he has gone through a phase of severe depression. On the outside, it feels like an effortless performance. But, the minimal tweaks Sharaf has given to his usual set of expressions and mannerisms clearly make Jimmy a lovable character. Mohan Kumar Fans fame Anarkali Nazar gets a very memorable role as Fida, and she was extremely good in that character.
Genre cliches and a few broad strokes are definitely there in the treatment of Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn. But the conversations in the movie, be it between Jimmy and Nithya or between Jimmy and Fida, have an authentic feel to their credit. Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn is a passable romantic comedy that would have worked immensely if it had been a bit more intense.
Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn is a passable romantic comedy that would have worked immensely if it had been a bit more intense.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
