Nalpathiyonnu Review: end result here is a disappointment

Showing an event that made an atheist become a believer is the core idea of the new Laljose movie 41. The idea is, of course, a standard one and we have seen filmmakers like Sreenivasan playing with the belief factor in his screenplays. But here, the script by PG Prageesh is not so sure about how to build a track to the desired climax. We are watching scenes after scenes that never look like an important part of this film.

A school teacher named Ullas is our main protagonist. He is a left-wing political party worker and an atheist. He is such an enemy of customs and rituals that his own marriage faced a lot of issues. The next character in the movie is Vavachi Kannan, another party worker who is more like an employed goon. At one point when Kannan started to use the party’s power for his personal benefits the party decided to correct him and that duty was assigned to Ullas. The party’s plan to execute this mission with the support of Ullas is the story of 41.

41 feels like an amalgamation of a lot of flat scenes. There is a scene in which Kannan vomits in Ullas’ well in the beginning. You will be wondering why that scene was necessary for the movie. Then there is a romance track of Ullas that goes unattended. Even the interval point of the movie is really confusing. The movie deviates from the conflict when it reaches the interval. After the interval, there is a better focus on the movie. But there also the screenplay is getting stuck at scenes. The stampede you get to see at the end is more like an escape strategy of the makers rather than an organic development planned in the screenplay.

Creating that texture of a rural Kerala is a talent of Laljose and here also he has done a great job in creating that ambiance. But the script by PG Prageesh is a major letdown. Usually, writers add layers to the central concept and make the subplots feel like an integral part of the story. Here that blend is missing. A lot of the subplots don’t really merge with the main content, for example, the love story of Ullas. The movie is trying to delay the predictable climax by adding jokes and songs. The visuals by S Kumar were really nice and I enjoyed the songs composed by Bijibal. The editing wasn’t that great in the climax portions.

Biju Menon is in his usual space and you won’t really question his casting. But the dialect he follows in the movie is a mixture of his usual one along with the Kannur slang. Nimisha Sajayan is lovely to see with that widespread smile on her face, but sadly the movie wasn’t exploiting her acting chops. Saran Jith as Vavachi Kanna is the best performer here and the guy will stay here for some time. Dhanya Ananya was also really good as Suma.

If they had taken a more satiric approach, the current political scenario would have helped the movie in being totally engaging. But 41 prefers to stay in the typical zone and is struggling to develop the thread in an exciting way. Thus the end result here is a disappointment