'Neerali' ( Octopus ) doesn't feel like an Indian film. Its treatment is European: subtle and realistic. It would best be called a 'disaster-thriller' meaning ' A story about a peril where the protagonist's job and mission are to survive and to save the ones/ one with him. It is a 'film noir' because it has melancholy, disillusionment, ambiguity and desperation due to the accident. The screenplay's style develops into paranoid fiction and magical realism and ends with a philosophical note.
Umpteen critics and cinema lovers wrote 'Neerali' dealt with fear, but I think it dealt with helplessness. It deals with the helplessness experienced by its protagonist Sunny George. The viewer experiences the progression of Sunny's helplessness through Mohan Lal's awesome performance. As time lapses, tension mounts, helplessness reaches its zenith. The graph rises, and Sunny George takes us through a ride of sheer helplessness. 'Between the lines', Sunny expresses the uncertainty of life through small gestures and for people who have been in similar situations it is real. In near-death experience seeing the souls of loved ones is reported across the world. Sunny to see one such soul, which I think was a flash of brilliance concerning character portrayal for such sequences.
Saju's story revolves around a pick-up van hanging off a cliff with two people, wounded and crying for help. Other characters include a snake, a monkey and the voice of a retreat preacher from the valley. The film's principal set up is around that. Ajoy's directorial space is confined to a limited situation and place, and he has done an excellent job in making the film convincing. ( Only film-makers can understand the constraints of doing such a film ) Two sequences make him an outstanding director: the film's opening and ending with a Bumblebee. It is a significant portrayal of giving freedom to the soul to experience the magic of life.
As a film-lover, I think Neeraly is a carefully researched and executed subject. The dialogues are natural with philosophical insights. It has the wisdom of a gemologist( Sunny, Lal sir as always with his magic). It has the burdens of a father ( Veerappan, Suraj as always has performed well) It has the psychological complexities of a young woman in her shoes ( Nina, Parvathy has done an outstanding job as a complicated Nina ). Nadia Moithu, Dileesh and the vibrant young girl who played Veerappa's daughter deserve an ovation for their outstanding contribution. It has the constant presence of the divine and morality finally in and out.
