Theatre - Innovative Multiplex, Bangalore
Show - 10-Feb-2012, 4:45 PM
Status - HF or nearly so
Its not everyday that you encounter movies like Natholi. Self-indulgent with a bold narrative. Rarely these kind of experiments work and when they do, its a treat. Natholi worked big time for me. Essentially a comedy-drama which would have been utterly forgettable had it been written and directed in a conventional fashion. Just another film. Perhaps a tad more successful financially.
Shankar Ramakrishnan has essentially written one of the more unconventional films to come out of our industry in a long time. He writes strong dialogues that could be mistaken for some thing that Ranjith, his mentor, wrote. He keeps a level ground even while dealing with fiction inside fiction. Sadly, there would be a large section of audience who needs to be spoon fed as to what is real and what is not. Preman is a well setup character and drives the movie on. Narendran is also the same. Prabha could have been a little more fleshed out. There are quite a few interesting characters popping all through out the film. Even the cameo by V.K.Sriraman stands out. He has etched out the underlying theme of class difference pretty well without being overt or preachy. Kudos to him for the final parts where he establishes that a person is responsible for his destiny and should not live a life harbouring hatred for those who are better off. Its really satisfying as a writer to see how the characters that you write take on a life of their own and you start to get feelings towards them.
V.K.P is on the mark with his frames as usual. I doubt there is a better director with the visual sense that he has. Not many eye popping moments ala Beautiful or Trivandrum Lodge, but still the entire movie is aesthetically pleasing. The pacing is excellent for a drama. The movie does not drag out anywhere and parts towards the climax is pretty well laid out. Only qualm is so how the epilogue panned out. Though amusing with a dig towards himself, it does not satisfy.
BGM is terrific and apt to the mood. Couple of songs provide the needed break from the drama and are very well shot. Camera work is upto mark and with excellent editing adding value to the product. Art direction is great as well. Captured the feel of how most of the supervisors live in a posh apartment complex.
Fahad Fazil does a terrific job as Preman/Narendran. After Annayum Rasoolum he establishes the fact that he is the best young actor around in any type of role. Preman is a delight to watch and is kind of a lead that we haven't seen in a very long time. Narendran is equally good with Fahad being in a familiar territory. Kamalini Mukherjee is pretty good. Lip syncs decently enough and a good fit as the older, single woman. Mukundan is a revelation in a short role. Hoping for more roles for him. Rima was good in a very short role. Pretty effective in spite of being an almost complete fictional character. Other actors did well. P. Balachandran has a short cameo that left you wanting more.
Netholi Our Cheriya Meenalla may not be your cup of tea if you are used to a film that is to the point and follows the typical commercial pattern. Try it if you want to see something that’s truly different.
TL;DR: Netholi is one of the more imaginative flicks to come out of Malayalam in a long time. Entertaining and unique.
Rating: Very Good.
