Naradan

With the spread of media sensationalism conjoint with the growth of social media and the unchecked growth of 'news' platforms, a commentary on the same was the need of the hour and when a director of Aashiq Abu's calibre picked up such a topic, I was keen on what he would come up with. Unfortunately, "Naradan" falters with its insipid screenplay and tepid narrative style that neither entertains nor provokes thought requisite of the important subject matter it attempted to shine a light on.

Tovino Thomas stars as a Machiavellian news anchor, who resorts to sting operations and covering sensationalistic, clickbait news when his career reaches a crossroads. While it is refreshing to see him take up an anti-hero role after the rousing success of "Minnal Murali (2021)", he is given precious little to work with, with the character development happening in jarring flashes and the audience not getting any deep insights into his thought process, motivations, or antecedents.

Anna Ben makes good use of the little screen time she gets, as a steadfast lawyer fighting the good fight and Sharaf U Dheen also makes his mark, as the other side of the coin, a journalist focused on the facts rather than 'dirt'. However, it is Indrans who lingers in the mind with a deeply impactful, searing performance that is another testament to his growing stature as a character actor in Malayalam, after blowing us away with his turn from comedy to more serious roles in earlier films like "Aalorukkam (2018)", "Veyilmarangal (2019)", "Anjaam Pathiraa (2020)" and "Home (2021)".

"Naradan" had its heart in the right place and attempts to tell an important story-that of the dangers of an unchecked media culture running roughshod over citizens' rise to dignity and privacy in today's day and age. With rabble-rousers like Arnab Goswami and Sudhir Chaudhary continuing to bring in the highest ratings despite the jingoistic, sensationalistic drivel they peddle as news, it is time Bollywood also called out these practices.

Ultimately, despite having such a strong, relevant subject, "Naradan" fails to engage beyond a superficial level and falters in its attempts to cover these issues with any real conviction. Not recommended!

Naradan (2022) : Movie Review -

The history of films about journalism and the media isn't as impressive as one might expect. Sidney Lumet presented a sensational story with "Network" (1976) (not my personal favorite), which showed the ugliest side of journalism. Then came another sensational film, "All The President's Men" in the same year (this is my personal favorite), starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford (two of the best Hollywood actors of that time), which explored the super honest side of journalism. After that, some filmmakers tried to make something good but failed until we saw the Oscar-winning classic "Spotlight" (2015). Indian cinema has been missing such stuff, except for a few female-centric films made on journalism and media work, but now I can say we have Aashiq Abu's "Naradan" to satisfy some hunger. It's been more than a decade now that the Malayalam industry has been dominating the rich content field in Indian Cinema. The last two-three years have just been way beyond expectations. Simply unmatchable. They have come up with another fantastic film, and this time with a concept that hasn't been elaborated upon in brutal manners. Journalism is one of the most vital limbs of society's tree, and that's why our Constitution has given them some specific rights. But what if some people misuse it? The public believes the media, whatever they show on screen and whatever they say on screen, but what if it's not true? Wouldn't it destroy one of the biggest support systems in our lives? Well, Naradan has all the answers for you.

Half of Naradan is inspired by true events that can't be named here, while the other half is fictionalised. Chandraprakash, a senior journalist for news in Malayalam, is a talk show host and a news anchor with a huge audience appeal. He is the face of the channel but has now lost his moral values under the pressure of his editors and boss. He quits the job and starts a new channel of his own, financed by others, and makes it big in no time. Well, he has to answer some people for his wrongdoings, and how some ordinary people expose him is all about the second half of Naradan. It's a long film, about 150 minutes, but I think it's very common in Malayalam cinema. However, the screenplay is gripping, so it never looks boring or monotonous at all. Unni R's script does remind you of several incidents that happened in the past couple of years. You've seen that kind of reporting on channels, and you'll find that connection as well as similarities quickly. Despite the long narrative, Naradan keeps you on the edge of your seat with all those media-made cliches. It takes you through newsrooms, behind-the-story facts, office-way politics, the human race, TRP calculations, string operations, and finally to the courtroom. You don't regret a single moment throughout the film.

Talking about performances, Tovino Thomas is the leading force here. This guy just had a stupendous "Minnal Murali" a couple of months back, and before we could get over the fever of the superhero he portrayed, he hit another hammer on your head. "Wake up man, this is Tovino Thomas time. He is killing it there." His looks and personality will remind you of a popular news reporter/anchor, and even though I can't disclose his name, you'll understand it naturally. As a whole, it's back-to-back phenomenal results for him. Anna Ben has been impressive since her debut in 'Kumbalangi Nights', and with 'Helen', she showed the next level of her acting skills. In Naradan too, she is damn impressive. But the only problem is her screen time, which I personally think should have been longer. The supporting cast is just great. Sharafudheen, Joy Mathew, Vijayaraghavan, Balachandran Chullikkad, Raghunath Paleri, Jayaraj Warrier, Dileesh Nair, Rajesh Madjavan, Rafi and Kuchan have all done a fine job there.

The technical side of the film is uplifted by the chilling background score. Jaffer Zadique's cinematography doesn't have anything new to offer, maybe because we have seen all those frames on TV, or rather, we see them daily, so it doesn't evoke any kind of excitement. However, other scenes are beautifully shot, especially those top views. Aashiq Abu's direction makes this one look more real than it could ever have looked. He had a nice script in hand, yet he put his own convictions into the story while presenting it on screen. Despite the dramatic climax, he makes you believe those hard-hitting speeches, and you feel like you are in the courtroom all by yourself. Using human conscience to prove the law & justice is one of the most unique tricks played recently, and the entire credit goes to Aashiq Abu. Naradan doesn't just expose the insights of the media world but also teaches you, as a viewer, what to believe and what to not. The irony becomes even more difficult for us because, being a part of the media fraternity, we have to review the film. Yes, we have to accept these facts and live with them until our conscience awakens and makes us realise things like never before. In a nutshell, Naradan is a film that is brutally honest in its main context; despite exposing one of the most important fields of mainstream entertainment, it leaves you with a strong message about dishonest journalism and a powerful human conscience as an honest citizen of the nation.

RATING - 6.5/10*

One time watchable movie, not so good but tovino was good . Everyone performed well except Anna she doesn't match up with the character as it is a lawyer and she look like a school student. Not good at all.

Time pass movie but not upto the Aashiq Abu benchmark.

It is a linear narrative with no twists and turns : story revolves around the usual media affairs seen in other movies. Thanks.

Naradan was a spectacular story, very thought-provoking!

Sadly, sadly, the directing and screenplay punctured its great potential.

If Naradan were a plane, it took soooooo long to take off and we only got to engage with the lead stewardess toward the landing

DELICIOUS

-Photography and color grading were massive! Beautiful shots taken and the colorist accentuated each frame, grabbing our attention from the beginning

-Tovino Thomas needs no mention. Such a stellar performance going from the quiet to the aggressive man he became. Sir, you are more than a gem 👏🏾

Always a great joy to see Indrans, he had such great composure in the way he delivered his lines

-The screenplay gave us an in-depth insight into who Chandraprakash was, this was very crucial to understanding where he was coming from and going.

Naradan revealed the nature of man, how far he's willing to go to achieve fame and glory even if this means stomping on societal values

BLAND

-When we say that Naradan took a long time to take off, this is not figurative but literal. The narrative started warming up at around 40 minutes😖

-Anna Ben appears on Naradan's poster but we only saw her for a few seconds in the beginning and then towards the end. We completely forgot about her during the movie

-We have a big pet peeve for excessive smoking in movies unless necessary, which in this case it added nothing. Almost felt like witnessing a smoking show...