The trailer promised its audience an insightful journey into the lives of a modern-day couple and their real-life, digital-world problems, but the film is more of an experimental drama than a game- changer.
Aakash (Vijay Babu) and Vani (Kavya Madhavan) are a neutrally married couple who have sent their only son to a boarding school because they don't have time for him in their busy corporate work lives. Aakash is mad that Vani is unable to satisfy his sexual needs, while Vani is mad that Aakash is not considering her professional responsibilities. Frustrated with the monotony in his matrimony, Aakash decides to take a break, which does not go down well with his better half, who is equally cunning...
The setup is brilliant, and the first 20 minutes really succeed in hooking the audience. But, then the madness begins as the couple fight with each other - both verbally and physically - eventually leading the altercations to improbable and illogical situations which are short of awkward and unsettling. While the sexual inferences are understood, the way the characters behave and the things that they do is highly unimaginative. It all comes down to Vinod Jayakumar's awful writing as he wields his pen to create humor, but instead ends up creating irritation-inducing drivel.
Happy to see Madhavan after a long time, doing a fine job with her portrayal. Babu is fine, but sometimes takes it a notch higher than what is necessary. Supporting cast are fine mostly because they do not have much to do as the camera focuses on the couple 90% of screen time. And, in 2016, still no on-screen sex in Malayalam cinema. (Don't cite Papilio Buddha (2013), please.)
Overall, even though the intention looks good, the film comes out as a badly executed drama whose elements just go too far from reality. Preposterous is the best word to describe the whole film, even if you ignore the decent performances.
BOTTOM LINE: Khais Millen's "AakashVaani" is an experimental drama about a couple who start realistically, but end up as exaggerated cutouts of mind-blowing fiction. Watch on TV if it airs.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO
