Abhiyum Njanum Malayalam Movie
'Abhiyum Njanum' has nothing at all in common with the Tamil film by the same name, though after having watched the Malayalam film, I wished it did. It's a mostly forgettable romantic caper that progressively stumbles right from the first frame.
Abhirami (Arachana Kavi) has landed in Kerala for a day, with an intention to meet Sohan Menon, her cousin whom she hasn't yet met in her life. On reaching his place, she is told that Sohan has gone out for the day, and his mother entrusts his best friend Rahul (Rohit) to take her to Sohan. Off the duo sets off on his bike, and Abhirami blows her top when in the course of half a day, Rahul asks her if she could love him instead of Sohan, about whom she knows little.
'Abhiyum Njanum' falters right from the start, since it builds it tale on a ground that is quite shaky. The year is 2013, and here we have a girl who has been born and brought up in Mumbai, who flies to Kerala to meet a man whom she has never ever seen in his life. Sounds quite unwise and reckless, even if you attribute a nonexistent adventurous spirit to her.
One also does not understand why Abhirami texts a message to Sohan on the day prior to her journey, when she could have rung him up in person any time to confirm if he would be around. To believe that she has not seen a photograph of his, is stretching the liberty of creativity to unfeasible lengths, and I wonder if most of the viewers would buy such an argument.
The illogicality could perhaps be ignored, but the story still remains juvenile for most of its part, and lacks those genuinely interesting moments that would keep you glued in your seats. For instance, the bike trip that involves the couple stopping at friend's (Salim Kumar) house first, and then at an old age home (Captain Raju and a few other actors) is far from appealing.
It has come to a point where one has seen romantic tales of all shapes and sizes and to be impressed with yet another romance, there has to be some brightness in either the theme or its treatment, both of which are missing in 'Abhiyum Njanum'. Most of it slushy, and there is simply no escape from the deliberate attempts that it makes to make it appear as a sentimental romantic drama.
'Abhiyum Njanum' turns out to be just-about-watchable fare, thanks to its lead actor Rohit, who surprisingly does not exhibit the greenness of a fresher. He is quite confident, and does a neat job of playing Rahul, while Archana Kavi delivers an inconsistent performance. Lal's dubbing sounds muffled again, while Menaka seems quite comfy in her maternal avatar.
At the end of it all, you come out of the theatres with feelings of having watched a television sitcom on the big screen, and rue the fact that you did not have the remote in your hands to make it come to end a bit sooner. 'Abhiyum Njanum' is thus passable at best, which of course depends on how relenting your mood is gonna be.
