Vikruthi

Vikruthi may not be an immensely moving cinema. But it definitely has a good heart and no intention to spoon-feed its audience. Vikruthi is a movie that deals with the issue of responsible use of social media. It is a simple and sweet preach and the terrific Suraj Venjaramood elevates this simple movie to a heartening experience.

Sameer, a young man who works in the Middle East has come home. The family has all the plans to get him married this time. Eldho, a differently-abled man is another character in the film and he is a peon in a local school. Sameer who has this habit of clicking photos, just for the sake of likes happen to click a picture of a sleeping Eldho who was traveling in the Kochi Metro. This incident takes a different turn when the pic got misunderstood and got circulated among netizens. The repercussion of this event is the central element of Vikruthi.

The movie is actually based on a real-life incident we all may have heard after the inauguration of the Kochi Metro. A man named Eldho was humiliated in social media when someone took his picture and posted it on the internet saying Eldho was a drunkard. Director Emcy Joseph and writer Ajeesh P Thomas are trying to add life to this news article by showing us the life of the guy who gets affected by this act and also the man who took the photo and became a reason for it. Sameer is the guy who sent the picture to his friends and he is a representation of that Malayali who doesn’t have the basic sensitivity on how to use a mobile phone and how to respect an individual’s space.  The movie then shows how something like this affects an individual on various levels.

After showing the mental trauma of Eldho in the first half, Ajeesh P Thomas’s script decides to focus on the guilt of Sameer who is now afraid that he might get legally prosecuted. He is afraid to talk about what he has done and that puts him in a very difficult emotional space during his marriage. I was a bit worried about how the makers would pull off that area in the movie as the material was pretty much over by the time the movie reaches the interval. But by making the cheerful Sameer go extremely gloomy, the film gets a humorous and serious tone in the second half. The movie shows the intensity of how a mistake like this from our end can have a huge impact on personal life. Technically the film isn’t that glorious and the visuals and cuts are on the average side. The songs are more focused on melody and lyrics and thus it was enjoyable.

The opinion about this movie may change from person to person, but I don’t think there will be a disagreement among people in admitting that Suraj Venjaramood was terrific. Eldho can’t speak properly and has difficulties in hearing too. This is easily a character that can become so gimmicky in the hands of an actor. But how Suraj Venjaramood keeps the character in that minimal zone was just fabulous. Soubin Shahir is in his comfort zone in the first half of the movie. But in the second half, he becomes all the moodier and conveys the fear and guilt of Sameer neatly on the screen. The actress who played the role of Sameer’s mother was really good. Vincy as Zeenath was also pretty effective. Surabhi Lakshmi played the role of Eldho’s wife and was good at it. Sudhy Koppa, Jaffer Idukki, Marina Michael, Baburaj, Mamukoya, Nebish Benson, Bhagath Manuel, Irshad, Riya Saira, and several other names are there in the cast and they were all perfect for their roles.

After watching Vikruthi, I wasn’t a disappointed viewer and a part of me did feel that some sections of the audience should see this movie as it perfectly captures how life can change drastically over a simple mistake in judging a situation. The limitations are there for the movie as it is lingering around a slim idea. But this was one movie that had its heart at the right place and the outstanding Suraj Venjaramood makes it even more likable.

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