Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho movie review: Good message, no preaching

Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Rudraksh Sudheesh, Nedumudi Venu, K.P.A.C. Lalitha, Muthumani

Director: Sidhartha Siva

And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” — it is oft-quoted witticism from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. Now, the aphorism has become the basis for an entire feature film. National award winning Sidhartha Siva’s Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho has turned out to be a brilliant visual interpretation for this philosophy.

Ayyapadas (Rudraksh) is the youngest son of Mohandas (Irshad), who works in Muscat. Ayyapadas alias Appu’s ultimate aim is to travel on an aeroplane, the stories of which he has heard from his father and his maternal uncle (Musthafa). One day, Mohandas asks his family to travel to Muscat. Appu is naturally excited but his plans go bust as he contracts chicken pox. Leaving him behind, his mother and brother go ahead with their trip. To alleviate his son’s disappointment, Mohan books a ticket for his son during the next vacation but once again fate comes in the way. It is then that Kochavva (Kunchacko Boban), enters the scene, marking a turning point in the film.

Though the basic idea revolves around children, the narrative style makes it fit for adult audiences too. One of the major highlights is the message conveyed through this simple story. Though certain scenes are forced, the overall narrative is left unaffected. The director, who has chosen the backdrop of a village, has brought out the freshness and innocence of that terrain through his characters. Appuppan (Nedumudi Venu). Ammumma (KPAC Lalitha), Kochavva, local drunkard (Suraj Venjaramood) are some examples.

Though more than 30 characters populate this 147-minute film, only nine of them are crucial to the main story line. As Kochavva says in one scene, each character is the element of nature which helps fulfill our dream.

Though motivational in outlook, Sidhartha makes it lively through humour and twists. Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho is a good example of how a National Award winner can shake off the tag to come up with a good commercial entertainer.

The performance of child artiste Rudraksh is noteworthy. Neil D Cunha, who cranked the camera, has done a brilliant job without any gimmicks. Three musicians who composed soundtracks as well as the background score have also backed the director to the hilt.