A.R.M

The film sets the tone right from the beginning, with Mohanlal's introduction and Mala Parvathi's engaging narration of the grandmother's story.

Once immersed in this atmosphere, the fictional village of Chiyothika and its surroundings feel like our own.

Jithin Lal and Sujith Nambiar astonish us with their writing and direction, displaying a finesse that belies their newcomer status.

The humor woven into this fantasy-myth narrative owes much to Deepu Pradeep's contributions to the screenplay.

This team has seamlessly brought together the various elements of such a film to create an impressive whole.

The artistic direction stands out, vividly portraying the fictional village of Chiyothika, its temple, and its people across three distinct time periods.

While unfolding the story with the lightheartedness of a grandmother's fable, the film also explores the caste system persisting through both monarchic and democratic eras.

Beyond the narrative, Tovino Thomas captivates with his electrifying performances and commanding screen presence.

Portraying three distinct characters-Kunjikelu the warrior, Maniyan the thief, and Ajay the electrician-Tovino embodies each role with unique looks, expressions, and body language.

His dedication and preparation for these roles are evident in his flawless performance, with Maniyan's character deserving special mention.

Maniyan's appearance, expressions, body language, and dialogue delivery surpass even the other two characters, making him unforgettable.

Aishwarya Rajesh and Kriti Shetty, though in lead roles, leave a limited impression beyond their fleeting appearances.

On the other hand, Surabhi Lakshmi excels in her role, especially as Maniyan's wife, delivering a performance that elevates her character beyond mere support to Maniyan.

The chemistry in the Maniyan-Nanu combo scenes is so vibrant that Tovino-Jagadish's duo takes a backseat.

Jomon's cinematography, Shameer Mohammed's editing, Dibu Nainan's music, and other technical aspects significantly enhance the film's theatrical experience.

Ultimately, ARM triumphs by narrating a grandmother's tale/fable from start to finish with technical brilliance, adhering to its core essence throughout.

Let me start with Cinematography, it has all the recipe of Hombale films. The producers of Kaantara!!

The treasure hunt kind of a story with some supernatural healing element is fine but the non linear presentation across three time periods doesn't stick well. Tovino Thomas does justice on part but the plot does not draw that stickiness which a Kaantara or a Baahibali does!

Music some times is sometimes superfluous or overwhelming.

The story line is all about lineage and legacy, and says how the protoganist negotiates his way forward to erase the untrue legacy. Basically the protoganist trio are ready to face all odds for greater good. While that theme is good it needs a proper presentation.

Kalari was shown well initially, even during the climax it's brought in and presented well, initially but loses steam almost instantly.

We are left to wonder what is it that the hero will use to win all the odds against him. It's finally the supernatural saving element in the plot that makes the entire much a do about something into some what nothing.

Needn't have to be that lengthy a movie to say what you wanted to say!! Though there are a couple of twists in the movie they don't appeal much.

Overall you can watch once with some supernatural support for almost 3 hours.

My rating is 7/10.

To me, ARM is an effort movie in malayalam in the fantasy segment. How thoughts/ambitions of our ancestors travelled through generations and its significance in the present moment is crafted appealingly.

Some procreation is meant to gain respect for their families/communities or to break the chains time had put on their heals.

Glorified theft, but who is right...?? Is the question here in this movie.

There are many secrets to unlock for the present generations which is kept it for the same purpose by our predecessors. The rightful always finds its way to find the treasure behind the secrets inorder to live with glory/respect/pride...!!

****Songs (especially Angu vaana) and BGM are good.

***Fight sequences are entertaining.

***Performance of Maniyan couple was the highlight.

***There is romance in this movie.

The film ARM is a cinematic work belonging to the Adventure action thriller drama genres, which was directed by Jithin Lal.

The film's narrative is focused on three characters: Kelu, Maniyan and Ajayan. The narrative is rooted in the concept of a chiyothivilakku, which is a figurine of a deity that is worshipped. The construction of the edifice was undertaken with the use of unnatural elements, a practice that was customary for the kingdom of Edakkal. In the event of the kingdom facing adversity, a warrior of Haripuram, Kelu, versed in the intricacies of weaponry, intervened to thwart the antagonists and requested the chiyothivilakku as a gift from the kingdom. The king bestowed the gift upon Kelu. The artefact was conveyed to Haripuram, where a temple was constructed for the purpose of housing the chiyothivilakku. Prior to his demise as a result of the plague, he ascertained that the chiyothivilakku bestowed upon him by the king was a counterfeit, and that the original was still in the possession of the royal palace. Kelu concealed this information from all other parties, and consequently met an untimely demise. Maniyan is a renowned thief in Haripuram who possesses both magical abilities and expertise in the use of weapons. The entire community endeavoured to apprehend him. However, this attempt was unsuccessful. Maniyan appropriated the chiyothivilakku from the temple in retribution for the humiliation inflicted upon his wife by certain members of the local community. It was at this point that he became aware of the lack of originality in that work. He proceeded to the palace, and following his successful completion of numerous challenges, he stole the original Chiyothivilakku from the palace. The item was stored in a highly confidential location. Subsequently, he was apprehended by the local populace and propelled from the precipice. The third character is Ajayan, who is the grandson of Maniyan. Ajayan is employed as a mechanic. Due to his lineage being that of Maniyan, he is not predisposed to embodying the role of the thief. He has a romantic interest in Lakshmi, who is the daughter of the primary figure in the village. He leads a modest existence, yet the villagers persistently associate him with criminal activity. He encountered significant challenges in maintaining his residency there. Subsequently, an individual by the name of Sudhevan arrived in the village with the intention of photographing the local festival. Nevertheless, his true intention is to steal the chiyothivilakku. Subsequently, it became apparent to him that the object in question was a counterfeit of the chiyothivilakku. He caught Ajayan and issued a directive for the original to be located. Despite conducting a thorough search of the entire village, the item could not be located. During the festival period, Ajayan encountered challenges in his relationship with Lakshmi, and was subjected to false accusations of theft. These difficulties mirrored those experienced by Maniyan, who also fell into a similar situation. Following a meticulous search, Ajayan successfully located the original chiyothivilakku. It is evident that, as a consequence of this, he was able to claim a favourable certificate from the villagers.

The narrative was of an excellent standard, both in terms of its composition and direction, and the cinematic experience it provided was also of a high quality. The integration of visual elements and musical scores is noteworthy, with the performances by the cast being of a particularly high standard. This film has been found to be one which can be watched once without losing its appeal, and it has also been determined that it can be recommended to others.

This film can be described as a big film made on a small budget. It is commendable that director Jithin Lal has delivered a film with excellent visual quality on a tight budget.

Regarding the direction, Jithin Lal did a good job. The way he visualized the story is commendable. Although the nonlinear storytelling wasn't exceptional, he managed to present the visuals in an appealing way. There are some flaws in the continuity of shots, but setting these aside, Jithin Lal has made a good debut as a director.

While analyzing the social aspects of the movie, some of the social issues that the film addresses are significant. The reality is that the true power of the things we worship lies elsewhere, and people often believe what they are told without knowing the real truth behind it. The film subtly conveys that whatever is worshiped, it is ultimately about the faith in our minds.

It also tells us about the situation of the lower-caste people who fight for the deity, but in the end, they are unable to visit or touch the deity they believe in, fought for, and once carried. Ultimately, only the spectators of the fight are able to worship the deity, not those who fought for it.

The issues related to caste presented in the story may seem small, but they are actually very significant subjects. This aspect deserves great appreciation. The film also portrays the condition of the common man who struggles for the happiness of the ruling class and those around them, only to end up facing all the troubles while the high-class people find entertainment in it.

Tovino's performance is the backbone of the film. Needless to say, he gave an excellent performance in all three characters, portraying them so differently that they seem like three distinct individuals. He excelled in both action and emotional scenes.

Both Surabhi Lakshmi and Rohini delivered excellent performances. Mala Parvathi's storytelling style was also very interesting. Mohanlal's vocal presence drew us to the film from the very beginning. Kriti Shetty didn't get a chance to deliver a significant acting performance, but Mamita Baiju, who voiced her, seems to have done her duty well enough.

The writing of Basil's character was not great, and the performance felt average or below because of that. Harish Uthaman's character is not a brilliantly written villain, but he gives a good performance. Aju Varghese, Sudheesh, Bijukuttan, and Sanju Sivaram all played their characters well.

While discussing the story, the world of the film feels like a grandmother's tale. The story starts and progresses like a folktale, making the film's style clear from the beginning and drawing the viewer in right away. The beginning of the movie and the storytelling were very beautiful. Ajay's love scenes felt a bit off, but the parts featuring Maniyan's character were the best in the film.

Although there are many good moments in the film, there are some flaws. Certain scenes were given a huge build-up but ultimately felt like nothing soon after. Even when it reaches the climax, the movie didn't surprise me; there was nothing that stood out as a "wow" factor. In the climax, Ajayan becomes a hero who somehow reaches his goal without his own abilities. Actually, Ajayan tried his best before to find it, but in the climax, he hasn't done anything great; situations take him to the goal, not his ability. In other words, when the writer decided "now he can find the thing," then he found it. That's what happened, nothing more. That can't be considered great writing.

The movie leaves some doubts in the story after the first viewing. Normally, in movies, many questions are expected to be answered after the initial viewing; otherwise, if it's very complicated and needs more study, they can be answered after multiple viewings and analyses. Even after that, if the questions remain and disrupt the story's flow, it may leave a negative impression on the film forever. In this story, many questions remain for me after the first watch. The problem lies in Ajayan's conflicts with the villain; it often feels powerless. The villain knows many facts before Ajayan discovers them and still plays with Ajayan. He appears right after Ajayan finds the truth and claims he already knows everything. The most confusing thing is how he is able to arrive at the correct places, even when Ajayan doesn't know how he ended up there. I felt it could have been presented in a better and more convincing way. Another thing I felt was that Ajayan doesn't need to fear the villain that much in the Kalari fight. I think they treated that scene this way only to make a political statement, but that treatment actually spoiled the scene. The battle between Ajayan and Sudevan wasn't that great. The main doubt is that the villain, who seems to know everything in advance, is actually much more intelligent than Ajayan or Maniyan.

The dialogues and their politics in the film were also very beautiful. However, it seemed that the same natives could have tried to give the same style of dialects to all.

The dialogues and their politics in the film were also very beautiful. However, it seemed that the same natives could have tried to give the same style of dialects to all.

The songs and background music were great. Only in a few places did the background music feel a bit over the top. But overall, the songs and background score stood out, making the movie better despite its flaws.

The editing seemed a little off. Some of the cuts were immediately recognizable, which could have been taken care of.

Jomon T. John has done the cinematography beautifully. Many beautiful frames were seen in the film.

The VFX was really good. This movie has better VFX than many big-budget movies, despite its small budget. There are minor drawbacks, but they pale into insignificance considering the budget constraints.

The 3D conversion was also good. There are some limitations when converting 2D to 3D, but it goes without saying that they tried their best.

The makeup, costume, and art departments deserve a lot of appreciation. These sections were very good.

Overall, the film gave an average experience on the first theatrical viewing because of its average screenplay. However, it was worth watching because of its wonderful making and performances. This is a movie that needs to be seen in the theater. Both the visuals and the sound provide a great theater experience.

This review is based on my initial viewing, and it's possible that my opinion may evolve after subsequent watches or over time due to changes in life and perspectives.

To any crew members reading this review, I ask for forgiveness if my perspective contains any inaccuracies. If any of the criticisms are valid, I encourage you to avoid similar mistakes in the future. Constructive criticism is essential for continually improving our films.

(Opinions are strictly personal. Thank you. 😊)