Kunjaliyan Malayalam Movie
I'm sure it would be a bit too much to ask for a story with some logic thrown in, when the makers of a film take upon themselves the task of making people laugh their guts out. Comedy, thus becomes an excuse for illogicality, and in 'Kunjaliyan', its more of an excuse for making an incredibly silly film.
The details of the story that the film tells are best left unexplored. Seems like Jayaraman (Jayasurya) used to be a youngster who has never managed to be in the good books of neither his three sisters (Bindu Panicker, Resmi Boban & Tesni Khan) nor their husbands (Vijayaraghavan, Jagadeesh & Ashokan). .
His fortunes go for a spin however, when he loses his job in the Middle East. His bosom buddy Preman (Suraj Venjarammoodu) writes to his family, that Jayaraman has won a Dubai lottery of 50 Crores, and on his return to Kerala, Jayaraman finds an entire village excitedly waiting for his arrival.
Just as I was wondering , how an entire village could be fooled into believing that a man has won a lottery and become a multi-millionaire, along comes the (only) sane person in the film, Maya (Ananya). The girl having realized Jayaraman's ploys, asks him for the lottery ticket, and I heave a sigh of relief.
The rest of the village however seem to have gone nuts. Take the Panchayat President (Harisree Ashokan) for instance, who roams about in a truck hollering announcements regarding the grand reception to be accorded to Kunjaliyan Jayaraman. He makes even casual conversation through the mic!
Kunjaliyan's family is no better when it comes to sanity. The three sisters and their husbands are no ordinary village pumpkins, and they try to excel each other in moronic behavior. There is Kunjaliyan's uncle (Maniyanpillai Raju) too, whom we are told roams about with a 'double barrelled' gun. Phew, some fun indeed.
And around half-time, the picture becomes complete with Preman himself arriving in all grandeur, having lost his job as well. And with Suraj around, can loudness be far behind? It all gets so cacophonic after a while, and amidst all this chaos, an odd joke or two springs up here or there. That's it.
Towards the end however, there is talk of environmental pollution and an upcoming poison factory and all that, and a bunch of scheming villains who look like they have potted plants inside their skulls instead of brains. The menace is strictly limited to their grim faces; the minute they open their mouths you wonder if they are making you laugh intentionally or otherwise.
'Kunjaliyan' is more of a chore really, and what's missing in it are several things - plausibility, surprise elements and above everything else, some good, classy humor. Not my idea of a fun outing, this.
