From the national award winning actor Suriya to Pariyerum Perumal and Karnan fame Maari Selvaraj, the industry is in awe of Fahadh Faasil’s latest release Malayankunju. They have taken to Twitter to shower their appreciation for the film.
This survival drama revolves around a casteist and hot-headed man, who is trapped under the ground due to a landslide and his journey to self-realisation and redemption.
If I were to give you five reasons on why you should watch this gem of a film, it would all be Fahadh Faasil. But the unfair world will call me a biased Fahadh fan. So, let's take a look at the four other reasons.
Fahadh Faasil's Acting
Though Fahadh Faasil was seen in pan-Indian releases like Allu Arjun starrer Pushpa and Kamal Haasan’s Vikram recently, Malayankunju is his first Malayalam theatrical release in 2 years.
He has delivered a stellar performance as Anil Kumar aka Anikuttan tugging the heartstrings of the audience, letting us empathise with his role by emoting merely through his eyes.
As an actor who has the maximum screen time and being the sole performer on screen, especially in the later half of the film, Fahadh succeeds in holding our attention till the end. He pulls off a complex character, which is worthy of both our love and hate, to perfection.
AR Rahman's Music
Malayankunju marks the return of music maestro AR Rahman to Malayalam cinema after nearly three decades.
The haunting background score that ably accentuates the gripping survival thriller and the songs ‘Mannum Niranje’ and ‘Cholappenne’ are the magical potions that AR Rahman renders to quench this long wait.
The music towards the end, like a soothing lullaby calms down the ill-tempered, grown child Anikutta.
Nuanced Writing
Fahadh Faasil’s role Anikuttan gives you major ‘character’ goals on how not to be and interestingly, also how to be. The writer Mahesh Narayanan has very carefully layered the screenplay, defining the specific reasons behind his bad behaviour, in such a way that he neither trivialises his trauma nor does he use it to justify the casteist mentality.
Also the film has brilliant analogies and lets you interpret it your own way: be it Anikuttan’s symbolic rebirth from mother earth’s womb or how, as an electronics technician who is used to repairing computers, he repairs himself to become better.
Be like Anikuttan but from the second half of the film where he is willing to change and transform for good.
Realistic Cinematography
Initially, the film lets the audience be a bystander for a long while, watching the world of Anikuttan from the outside but slowly passes the baton to view his world from the inside and understand where he is coming from.
Watching the film through Fahadh’s eyes with the brilliant lighting or rather the lack of it as he is trapped 40 metres under the ground due to the landslide, is an experience you should not miss in theaters.
The cinematography is realistic and on point for the camera angles let you jump into his shoes and feel his pain.
Novel Narration
Malayankunju beautifully narrates that the society and circumstances force us to discriminate and spew hatred on fellow human beings, while our natural state is to show only love. With such an important and heavy message, the film is not preachy even for one bit. It is more than just a survival drama that delves deep into the complexities of human emotions. It will not be an exaggeration but fair to say, as a unique survival drama, Malayankunju is the Indian Squid Game.
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