College Days Malayalam Movie
College Days is yet another thriller set against the backdrop of a medical college where a medical student Athira (Bhama) is thrown off the terrace by a bunch of rich brats. An year later the culprits - Sathish (Ryan), Rakhi (Dhanya), Anu (Sandhya), Jo (Padmasurya) & Anand (Sajithraj) - are let scot-free, and they return to college as if nothing has happened. When Rohit Menon (Indrajith) arrives from Bangalore to be a house surgeon and refuses to bow down before their dictates, he is seen as a potential adversary by the five member gang.
The story of College Days tells nothing new. In fact there have been a few other movies in the recent past that said strikingly similar tales, one of which was even set in a Medical College. The treatment isn't entirely new either, for in unfolding the suspense that lies all wrapped up, the film makers take to a much treaded path, offering no surprises in the making.
The story of revenge that the film tells could be identified quite easily. The lack of surprise elements could be a major downer in a film like this, and College Days stands to suffer on this account. With a bit more careful writing, that accommodated a few gripping elements the film could have worked on several more levels.
For instance, the very format that it follows is too identifiable. A murder at the beginning, and the perpetrators of the crime believing that all is well that ends well. The appearance of a mysterious figure who instead makes life a hell for them, and the final revelation regarding the motive behind his arrival.
The remixing of old elements if it had been done a bit more judiciously, could have rendered a different feel to the film. Here the source material doesn't receive much refurbishing, and this is where those twists that should play a vital role go missing.
Performances are even, and almost all the young actors have done remarkably well, be it Indrajith maintaining a calm persona through out, Ryan showing a whole lot of promise and Sandhya further emphasizing that she is a solid performer. Dhanya, Sajith and Padmasurya offer fine support as well.
The technical aspects of the film remain totally in sync with its theme, and the cinematography by Sujith Vasudev and the editing by Babu Ratnam are impressive. There is a beautiful song that goes Vennilavin sung by Srinivas and composed by Ronny Raphel that is one of the highlights in the film. Indrajith brings in a special charm with the way in which he renders it on screen, though the College Day scenario is a much familiar one.
College Days looks like an earnest endeavor, but one that is entirely unaware of its predecessors. With a bit more careful plotting, the film could have emerged much better than it has.
