Oozham

I didn't exactly expect a 'Drishyam' or 'Memories' when I went to watch Jeethu Joseph's latest crime drama 'Oozham' starring Prithviraj Sukumaran. However, when the thrill quotient is abysmally low and predictability is on the rise with each successive sequence, the movie tends to leave absolutely zero impact by the time the end credits roll. This is exactly what happens in the case of 'Oozham'. It's a clear- cut hero vs. villain revenge drama that has been done to death in the history of cinema itself. What makes these flicks engrossing are the innovative methods deployed by the protagonist to seek vengeance against the ones who wronged him. Here, even the methods stick out like a sore thumb. The leads converse with each other as if they're trying to pull off a 'Thani Oruvan'esque style cat and mouse thriller but one can't help getting reminded of Prithviraj's earlier crime thrillers 'Anwar' for the similar light shades used and the feel-good family portions (in Oozham's initial half), '7th Day' for its smooth talking criminal who gets the job done without much hassle, and 'Robin Hood' where the Tam-brahm dude gets wronged by a businessman and ultimately conjures up his own ways to seek redemption. The quick transitions from past to present looks effective initially but gets repetitive after a while.

Cardboard villains who wreak havoc for their own benefit and sporadically speak in English (for a good part of their screen time) take away a sizeable portion of our patience. Jayaprakash is definitely a good actor but the script reduces him to a mere buffoon. The same can be said about Pasupathy's character who at times even seemed unintentionally funny. Balachandra Menon and Neeraj Madhav are alright, but the actress who played Prithviraj's sister in the movie leaves a lot be desired. The cop characters and angles are underdeveloped and ultimately do very little but add to the run-time.

The less said about the plot the better. And I'm not saying that in a positive sense. The kind of screenplay that the viewer is subjected to, appears nothing short of disappointing. You very well know that it doesn't do one bit of good for a movie when people are staring into their phones way too often. Looking at the few positives, the BGM is pretty good and helps amp up the proceedings to a certain extent. I liked the director's idea of cutting a full length and quite well-executed action sequence into itsy-bitsy pieces to intensify the brawny element. However the reasons for all what unfolds on the screen is unquestionably hackneyed and predictability further plays spoilsport.

Quite frankly, the revenge drama (Jeethu claims 'Oozham' isn't a thriller but all signs point to yes!) requires some serious re-work in the editing department. Even then, I'm not sure the movie would be able to grasp the viewer's attention. To top it all, the climax is a complete bummer. This one gets a generous 2 out of five stars.

What's wrong with these people, why they all criticising this movie it's a different kind of movie which isn't seen in malayam movies and it's a nice idea too from the director... Why the mallu fans always wants some stupid mass type of stuff like mamooty and mohanlal so often does, the movies are changing now a days and this movie is not a bad one at all... If u like thrillers just go for these kind of movies don't ask others about it

Just another master piece of jeethu joshep. Everyones acting was realistic. Also Neeraj nailed his character . As you know it's JUST A MATTER OF TIME.

Crime thrillers are not that easy to construct, and in here, the makers just garnish the product with plot holes so as to make their job convenient and ours cumbersome.

Surya (Prithviraj) is a controlled explosion specialist working in the States. His family lives in Kerala and are currently trying to arrange a marriage for his kid sister. Call it fate, but Surya is forced to witness a heinous crime done to his family, through Skype. A livid Surya flies to India immediately and lays a plan with his survived step-brother Ajmal (Neeraj Madhav) and wife-hopeful Gayathri (Divya Pillai) to avenge the death of his family. But, who killed them? And why?

These are the questions Surya asks himself, but we as an audience know the answers already. So, the screenplay is sort of an anti-climax where things fall in place at the right time without space for mystery. The screenplay is experimentally non-linear where at one side, we have Surya running for his life, and on the other side, his flashbacks of a happy familial life. Director Joseph should be lauded for trying something new here, but should be condemned for serving such a cold recipe. The drama sequences in the first half look contrived, comedy is poorly written and enacted without diligence or intention, and the action sequences are like those roadside dogfights we see where barks is louder than the actual blows. The scenes are stitched together well, but are still ennui-inducing.

Viewers will have a "been there, done that" attitude while watching the second half as Surya goes from target A to target B, all in controlled planning. Reminds one of Raj Babu's intense thriller, Chess (2006) starring Kava Madhavan's second husband. One will recall scenes in other films as you continue watching the charade that happens on-screen. The cast is largely average in their portrayal. Prithviraj definitely needs to buck up in terms of acting as he is slowly going the typecast route. Menon is irritating in the same way he was in his own film which came out in 2015. Madhav and Pashupathi are fine, although the latter tried to look like a 20-year old hit-man when in reality he is 80.

Furthermore, the biggest turnoff that the film offers is the English dialogues. Atrocious is an understatement for the diction and delivery by the cast members as they use the world's universal language to converse with tepid control. Laughs are sure to come out when one hears the absurd sentences spoken by people like Balachandra Menon and V Jayaprakash. I'm not interested in why Joseph made them talk like that or who wrote those dialogues, but the fact is that Malayalam films have always been zero in this field. And if films expect to use this language considerably, they should learn to say it right.

All in all, playing ripoffs of Hans Zimmer in the background and showing close-ups of the lead actor so that we can see his teeth cavity as he jumps from walls and triggers explosions is not the best way to make a film. Makes one wonder whom to give credit for the 2013 hit film, Drishyam: Jeethu Joseph or Keigo Higashino.

BOTTOM LINE: Jeethu Joseph's "Oozham" is a shoddy creation made to cash in on the growing fame of the lead actor. It's just a collection of tidbits extracted from popular revenge dramas. Skim through when it airs on TV.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

This film was the most worst revenge drama. It was with out any great plot. It neither shows family feelings. It shows very older method to showcase great revenge. But it was awful.Killing the people with Bombs. It was a below average bomb story. The hero was the only positive thing in this film. But he was also helpless since the scripting was pure low. The dual story telling was worst of its kind. Pathetic direction with a below average script. The montage used in this film was worst of its kind.Killing the people with Bombs. It was a below average bomb story. The hero was the only positive thing in this film. But he was also helpless since the scripting was pure low. The dual story telling was worst of its kind. Pathetic direction with a below average script. The montage used in this film was worst of its kind.