Set in Kerala’s cultural capital Thrissur, Thrissivaperur Kliptham begins on a promising note as the humourous opening credits roll, offering a peek into the entertainment package the makers have planned. The silly fights between the gangs of David Pauly (Chemban) and Chembadan Joy (Baburaj), who have been foes since schooldays, form the major plot.
Members of the Joy gang, frontbenchers in school and after, become successful in their careers and always sneer at their rivals. The four-member team of backbenchers is envious of them and tries to belittle and insult them in every way possible. As the two teams engage in settling scores, the shy, ‘unmanly’, but crooked Girijavallabhan (Asif) joins the Pauly gang. In parallel runs the story of the strong-willed Bhageerathi (Aparna), an auto driver, who picks fights and fends for herself. After an interesting first half, the story drags its heels along no-brainer sequences and gets stuck at the point where logic breaks, loses grip and falls into the depths of predictability.
Though there are plenty of loud dialogues, the makers have ensured dialogue rendition in near-to-perfection Thrissur slang by all the characters. The story, narration and style keep reminding one of Angamaly Diaries sans violence, Amen with plenty of toilet humour and many movies from the early 90s led by a combo cast. Though quirky, with funny dialogues scattered all over, writer
P.S. Rafeeque couldn’t pull of his Amen magic as the script loses steam midway. However, Retheish proves that he has the skills and is someone to watch out for, if he works on it. The swap between the hero and heroine is fresh and commendable; it’s the heroine who gets an intro, fight scene and punch dialogues, whereas the hero appears coy, anxious and nervous. Bijibal’s compositions — the ‘Mangappoolu’ song and the ‘Kantha’ BGM — are impressive. Swaroop Philip’s camera turns to the less-celebrated parts of Thrissur – the markets, dark alleys and dingy rooms. Casting deserves a special mention, especially for the perfect choice of child actors.
The real show stealers are Chemban, Asif and Aparna who essayed their roles with ease and charm. With his magnificent screen presence, Chemban has grown into a star from an actor. Asif adds one more feather to his cap; a bit more focus can take him to great heights. Aparna, in her best role till date, puts up an excellent show as the tough, stone-faced Bhagi. Underutilised talents — Irshad, Rony and Sreejith Ravi – were at their humourous best. Sunil Sukhada, T.G. Ravi and Abi too deserve kudos.
With its humorous treatment, Thrissivaperur Kliptham will not be a disappointment if you walk in with no expectations, as promised by the trailer.
