The movie posters, the songs, the cast give a certain picture, if you are the assuming kind, of what to expect — perhaps a bit of new gen, a bit of ‘bro’mance, random romances, fun, and a twist. There is all that in Avarude Raavukal, and there is something else — Nedumudi Venu. Shanil Muhammed, one of the directors of the children’s film Philips and the Monkey Pen, used this veteran beautifully as Scobo Jones, the centre piece in a film that can at best be called a puzzle. Three young men — Asif Ali as Ashik, Unni Mukundan as Sidharth and Vinay Forrt as Vijay — become the pieces, completed by Scobo and his eccentric ways.
Ashik comes to Kochi from a remote village, his dream of becoming an actor turning into the dream of the whole village. Sidharth believes there should be no aims in life so there’ll be no stress or fear. Vijay carries a secret guilt. Scobo lures them all to his abode, ‘free of rent or agreement’. Shanil brings his ‘difference’ with the treatment he chose — running between the three stories, running between the past and present, keeping the right pace. It becomes one of those can’t-take-your-eyes-off-a-moment films or you would have missed a crucial piece. Every scene, line seems important. That image of a puzzle keeps coming back.
Stereotypes have also been shed. Ashik could easily have been Unni Mukundan, and Sidharth, Asif, going by their history. They both look new in their avatars but seem to adapt easily. The innocence of a village lad suits Asif. Unni manages to pull off his flirty Sid, but there is room for more to do. Vinay Forrt tries romance, there is even a song Ethetho Swapnam composed by Shankar Sharma. He convincingly plays the most mature of the three. The narration in his voice is a welcome change too. And then of course there is Nedumudi being Nedumudi in a way that makes you feel only he could be this old man with his whims and oddities.
Female characters especially Milana Nagaraj’s seems like an afterthought. Honey Rose is necessary in Unni Mukundan’s part of the tale, but the character doesn’t seem convincing enough to have brought on the twist in Sid’s life. Milana playing Vijay’s love interest appears like an appendage. The only comfort comes from Lena’s character in Asif Ali’s segment. Mukesh too plays an important role.
As the film with its many pieces tries to fix that puzzle we talked about, it doesn’t keep you waiting long enough to think about the minor flaws it has. It is fast, and the many efforts for newness in the treatment, including the fading out of scenes into black-and-white, keep you focused.
