Ee Adutha Kaalathu

Sometimes things come together as if magically. Destiny, luck, coincidence.. whatever you call it, things just seem to lock into place. It's all right at the end, the good guys win and the bad guys lose. This is the theme of Ee Adutha Kaalathu (In Recent Times) a Malayalam movie released in recent times.

The film shows you multiple threads. You bite hoping it tastes good. The movie drags on and on. You look at the watch anticipating the interval. Then the script knocks you over suddenly and then cuts to the interval. The slow pace of the first half is improved upon in the second half. After a few tense moments the movie comes to a close all movies are supposed to - with the good rewarded and the evil vanquished. Go into the theatre expecting three - quarters of the movie to be slow, please. The way things come together is worth it.

This is not your regular movie with action and romance. The script writer and director tries to tell a good tale and I must say they succeed. The movie touches on themes like poverty, frustration of the married Indian woman, sex rackets and sexual impotence. We come across the husband who hides his impotence by ill treating his wife and acting out fake "affairs" in front of her. The yellow press is not spared, with the script writer showing his disdain for them by creating a dislikable character well played by Jagathi Sreekumar. Most of the actors are competent with some of the stalwarts like Indrajith displaying a fine performance. Indrajith's name in the starting credits was received with well deserved applause - he seems to have made character driven roles his forte.

Murali Gopy has penned the script with skill. He also dons the greasepaint, essaying a major character with great skill. It is unlikely to be an accident that he chose to essay that particular character as it is quite clear the lovingness with which that character is detailed. The character stands out with his frustration and quirks. The writer bringing it alive on screen is indeed a treat to watch.

Arun Kumar directs and edits this movie. He presents the brilliant script really well. There does seem to be a few rough edges that I expect he will polish. His previous attempt at direction - Cocktail - justifiably did well in the box office.

Anoop Menon's presence in a film has come to be seen by some as a weatherwane of sorts. The actor tends to be selective and shows up in really good movies. In this movie too he plays the character of the pompous Commissioner of police really well. Contrast this with another Commissioner who has set out to blast our eardrums with the err.. King!

Overall I would definitely recommend this movie. Go ahead and watch it - Malayalam cinema is still alive! :)

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