Pranaya Vilasam Malayalam Movie
How much do we know about the past of people close to us? Maybe not a lot. What a person appears to be on the surface may be very different from what they are on the inside. Perhaps they are holding back deep secrets. Nikhil Murali's first film, Pranaya Vilasam takes a good hour or so to get to its point. The two main characters in the film are Suraj (Arjun Ashokan) and his father Rajeevan (Manoj K.U.). Suraj does not get along all that well with his father, but a key moment in their lives forces them to embark on a journey that is connected with the past of someone they know.
The movie spends a long time setting up the romantic relationship between Suraj and Mamitha Baiju's character. The former has a thing about women, whereas the latter does not mind having a drink or two. The movie starts with breaking the long-established taboo of a college girl being a teetotaler. We are also introduced to Meena (Miya), Rajeevan's ex-girlfriend. It is refreshing to see a film where people are OK about their loved ones meeting their exes. Some movies may use this scenario to create some sort of domestic tension, but Pranaya Vilasam veers more towards the feel-good category.
The movie coasts along up to a point, but a twist in the plot forces Suraj and Rajeevan to sort out their differences and go in search of a person. Now, I am not going to talk a great deal about the plot because this is a film that deeply explores people's identities.
What I can tell you is that the second half of the film is a lot different from the first half. Some of the characters we see in the first half barely have a role to play after the intermission. It is like the characters are there just so the movie can be taken to a point where the main plot kicks in. Perhaps they are in the film to give a contrast between the concept of love before and after the advent of mobile phones. But I wish they had more of a role in the later proceedings of the film.
Nevertheless, the climax is unexpected and surprisingly profound for a film that starts with the cliched scenario of campus love. Hakkim Shahjahan, best known for his role in Kadaseela Biriyani, plays a politically-minded youngster with a penchant for football. It is the most well-thought-out character in the film. Hakkim's portrayal of a brash youngster and an adult who holds back a lot about his past love affair is just terrific. He ages so naturally on screen. The writing for his character is a couple of notches above the writing for Rajeevan and Suraj. The other thing that works well in the film is the growing father-son relationship. I like the bit where Rajeevan lets Suraj do something he once opposed, suggesting the growing nature of their relationship.
Manoj K.U. backs up his Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam performance with the nuanced portrayal of a person who considers himself a failure as a lover and a husband. Arjun Ashokan ably supports Manoj, and their scenes together are among the best portions of the film. Anaswara Rajan plays her character with a lot of maturity, even though she looks a little too young for this role.
Pranaya Vilasam is also a very pleasing film to look at, with lovely sound work from Shaan Rahman. It's wonderful to have soothing music as a backdrop to a father and son's journey through a poignant past and possibly a brighter future.
