Action Hero Biju

Action Hero Biju was among the most anticipated Malayalam movies in the recent times that generated huge pre-release buzz unlike any other mollywood movie in some years,even outside the state,being the immediate release of Nivin Pauly after the all-time-block-buster 'Premam' and the second directorial venture of Abrid shine who tasted both critical and commercial success with '1983'.The songs,second set of posters and theatrical trailer changed the total outlook about the film from being an action thriller to a realistic drama and naturally the hype was reduced to an extent,but somehow didn't reflect in the theatrical release that's huge considering the availability of screens for a Malayalam film in the present scenario.

"A Ride With A Police Officer" - the tag-line sums up the 145 minutes of narration that portrays the life of a normal police officer (played by Nivin Pauly) whom we may have met or might meet at least once in our lifetime.The character S.I Biju Paulose may look familiar to a good share of the audience and reminds us of ordinary policemen who are far from the larger than life cinematic depictions that we have come across in numerous films in the past.

Almost 75% of the movie have been shot inside the police station and a large number of petty cases are interpreted in between and how our protagonist Biju deals with these cases forms the crux of the storyline.

There are numerous moments to laugh and enjoy in the first half and the screenplay by Abrid Shine and Muhammad Shafeeq could succeed in taking the storyline forward well until it lost the grip some minutes into the second half where the narration lost its pace distastefully.On the positive side,Abrid managed to regain the lost drive in narration with course of time upto an extent and end the film on a passable,if not satisfactory note.Still,the fact remains that a better second half could have made this an altogether better cinematic experience.

In a way the movie is presented as a tribute to all the heroic police officers in the department who are willing and ever-ready to serve the needy,being a sign of hope that's always with and for the common people.Additionally a large number of socially relevant issues are touched and the social commentary involved went well even though a large number of dialogs felt preachy and defenseless due to the voice modulation of Nivin that doesn't suit that of a strict police officer that he is.

Nivin Pauly was good in the role of Biju,but couldn't work wonders like in Premam here as his voice failed to match the authority of the dialogs and it felt as if this might limit his decision to experiment with different genres and to handle more powerful characters with depth unlike the ones he has presented till now.Anu Emmanuel comes in 3-4 scenes and was totally wasted.The show-stealer in the movie was Suraj Venjaramood who gave a mind-blowing act even though his role was minimal-a testimony on his range of acting indeed! Joju George,Kalabahvan Shajon etc and a large number of débutant actors did their part well except a few who were struggling on their first attempt.

Rajesh Murugesan failed to produce matching backgroundscore for the movie and this affected the flow of the narration in at least a couple of situations.Songs by Jerry Amaldev were okayish,but a more youthful soundtrack could have suited the storyline better.Editng and Cinematogrpahy by Manoj and Alex.J.Pulikal were good.

Overall,Action Hero Biju is an average cop-drama with realistic narration that wont disappoint you if you go without huge expectations.

This movie was awesome. I had a smile on my face as the end credits were rolling in. I was so engaged throughout the film, my eyes were glued to the screen. In one word, it was entertaining.

Action Hero Biju is different from other kinda cop films usually seen in Indian commercial cinema. This one is very realistic in style and shows the day to day activities of Sub-inspector Biju (Nivin Pauly). I was emotionally connected to the different cases Biju had to encounter. Nivin Pauly performed well for the most part, he was the apt choice to play SI Biju. The supporting cast all played their parts well, especially Suraj Venjaramoodu who gave a brilliant performance. The cinematography was good. Loved some of the shots in the film. That definitely gave a different perspective from the usual cop films. Jerry Amaldev's songs were good and the heroine was okay though most of her scenes seemed unnecessary.

Overall, an engaging and entertaining picture. Malayalam cinema is going through a good phase. Adipoli! 8/10

Great acting ! Fresh theme ! Entertainment ! You name it - it has it all. This is what I love malayalam movies ! Definitely Nivins best performance so far! Loved it!

Since the evolution of Indian cinema, we have grown up watching police films where the cop is a superhero who singlehandedly takes down the corrupt system and crimelords. Also we have seen cops in negative light who misuse their power, takes bribe from others and acts as an aide for criminals. Many actors including Amitabh Bachchan became superstars by doing cop roles. In Malayalam, cop films of Suresh Gopi carved an image of police among the minds of Keralites. When police films were turning monotonous, here comes director Abrid Shine with his second directorial venture Action hero Biju breaking all the stereotypes of police cinema. It narrates the ride of S.I. Biju Poulose played by Nivin Pauly and the various petty and serious cases handled by him. Action hero Biju showcases how actually policemen work in real life and also shows what happens truly in a police station. This movie shows that police handle multiple cases at the same time rather than the entire focus being on a single case. Several cases come in this film in which some are funny, some emotional and some of them make you proud of Kerala police. Nivin Pauly gives a superb performance as Biju but sometimes falters in dialogue delivery when he mouths Suresh Gopi trademark dialogues. Anu Emmanuel has nothing to do, Joju was nice as Constable mini, rest of the cast were decent but the true show stealer is Suraj Venjaramoodu who in just two scenes proved what he is capable of. The only drawback you will naturally find is that it has no story. From start to finish it continuously shows several cases coming to Biju. But this would be the first film which I wouldn't mind if it has no story. Except pookal pannineer pookal, all songs composed by Jerry amal dev are forgettable. Even the placement and picturization of pookal pannineer song is not apt. On the whole, Action hero Biju is not for those who expect over the top police film but for those who are open to accept a realistic and fresh police film. Note: My dad does not like much the new gen malayalam films and prefers only old malayalam films. But action hero Biju is his favorite films of recent times and loves watching it whenever it comes on TV.

Action hero biju is a tribute to one of the most thankless jobs in India - the one of normal policemen. Respect for Nivin Pauly for having chosen to invest in this unconventional yet hard hitting movie as his first production venture, that too when his commercial viability is at its peak. If i were mr.Thiruvanjoor Radhakrishnan who handles ministry for films at present, having held the helm of home ministry before, i would make this film tax free and arrange mandatory screening every for school/college. Social commitment through mass media at its heights. It could have been made a mass entertainer with a lot of scope for clichéd punch dialogues et all but director Abrid Shine chose it to make it as rooted to the ground as possible, devoid of any super human antics. As for actors, all characters will remain in and some will even haunt your psyche long after you have left the movie theatre and it would be an injustice to mention a few.Don't go by the name and expect a comedy fest or hard core action folks!! Go watch it with an open mind and experience how a non-mainstream film can entertain and provide you food for thought.