Akkarakazhchakal - The Movie

The wait was finally over. On Saturday May 28th the much awaited AK movie was released in Toronto Albion cinemas. Our expectation was quite high due to the high impact AK episodes created in YouTube and mini-screen. The show was quite a success as around 300 people turned up. It's fair to say that the movie lived up to our expectation. Overall AK movie was a nice entertainer, worth watching. In my honest opinion it was much better than most of the recent Malayalam movies in terms of sense of humour and simplicity even though it lacks a strong story line and other technical aspects normally associated with a movie.

The movie's beginning (Appachan's 'kuli' scene) and the end scene gave the audience lots to laugh and cherish. People obviously got out of the theatre in a happy mood. Even though the storyline is not very strong, there is a good morale or a take home lesson for every NRI's who can relate this movie to their own situation. Apart from the direction and script, the actors also did a great job. There were also some funny one-liners which stuck to our minds. The situational comedy throughout the movie was quite good as expected of AK team. The length of the movie (about 2 hrs) was just right.

Now some of the negatives of the movie: In the technical side the movie was average. Cinematic music is lacking and the background music is very weak. The climax part of the movie could have been little bit more dramatic which would have given a more cinematic feeling. It all ended so fast. As a first venture the technical issues can be excused I think.

AK movie by Abi and Ajayan has proved beyond doubt that they still have got fresh ideas and sense of humour even after 50 episodes in mini-screen. Most of the AK fans (whom I encountered here in Toronto) thought that the movie might contain some repeat scenes or comical situations from their earlier episodes. To the AK team's credit and to everyone's surprise the movie theme and comedy scenes were totally new. This movie won't let you down for sure. For people who are waiting to see this movie in big screen my verdict is – borrowing a catchy phrase from film's hero George Thekkumootil – SATISFACTION GUARANTEED.

Viewers of sitcom 'Akkarakazhchakal' that gained popularity almost 7-8 years ago are sure to remember the antics of George Thekkumoottil and the rest of the gang that turned our bad days around. The characters were so relatable and the wackiness was every bit the kind we used to see (or still see) in some of our expat households.

While it took nearly 6 years for the film to make it to YouTube, the interest levels had never really died down. An episode or two of A.K before going to sleep had become an inevitable part of some of us Malayalees' late-night diet. The continuity factor is kept intact with almost the entire cast returning to play their much-adored characters (including Appachan, Rincy, Achan, Shiny, Jacob Embranthiri, Ikkili Chacko, the awesome foursome of Babykuttan, Mahi, Krish and Baiju and so on!) except for Mathaikunju and Chacki (played by different child actors).

The movie resumes a little further from where EP 50 had ended and the ensemble still manages to rake in ample amount of laughs (some exceptionally memorable one-liners!) while retaining the exact same vibe of the sitcom. None of the characters have really changed in terms of appearance or behavior. There is a severe lack of a central thread that is bound to move the story forward yet there's enough to keep A.K fans satisfied..and DEFINITELY!

While the fanboy in me is still yearning for more laughs to be generated from these characters in future, it is certain that Abi Varghese and Ajayan Venugopalan seem to be very clear on how they want the legacy of this sitcom to be upheld, and hence would never want to resort to senseless milking for the sake of repeating success. Fans of A.K are sure to have a great time watching A.K - The Movie and discussing some of the most hilarious moments. How they are still able to cook up new characters/situations and preserve the comedic halo of some of the existing ones is beyond me. Thanking the writer-director duo once again for this wonderful effort!