Aarkkariyam

It is the solid attention to details and the lack of spoon-feeding that impressed me in Aarkkariyam (Who Knows), a slow-burning drama with a hint of mystery thrown midway. Biju Menon one-ups (as he seems to be doing after every other film) as he shines in a character at least two decades more than his real age, playing a father to a daughter who he loves to the moon and back. Both Sharafudheen and Parvathy play their parts really well, and together the performances enhance the overall appeal, not to mention the vivid shots. 7 stars.

A good movie with some incredible perfomances.

Aarkkariyam was a slow paced realistic movie, The major highlight of this movie was the role of Ittiyavara played by Biju Menon. He just nailed it. Parvathy and Sharaf-U-Dheen also gives an impressive performance. Cinematography and Music are nice, But it would have been more better if the writing had been improved. That would have made the film even clearer.

Who Knows??

Just God Knows It All.

Very realistic & crisp story with great performances.

Aarkkariyam (2021) : Brief Review -

A solemn take on compassion and eternal salvation before eternity. Latest offering from Malayalam Cinema, Aarkkariyam is like a slow poison. It may work on some people strongly but some might find it mild. The main reason behind this is the improper use of leniency. With more virile theories behind the compassion would have worked better for sure. Shirley and Roy in the middle of an impending Covid lock-down and a personal financial crisis, leave their Mumbai home for Shirley's home in Pala where her father Ittyavira stays. Roy soon finds that her home is not what he thought it is. One secret which was hidden deep down by Ittyavira for years is revealed by him to Roy and it makes Roy restless. That's where the actual content begins and sadly it comes too late. The film opens its first card of the main story at the interval point. Can you believe it? Almost after 55-56 minutes we get to know where the film is heading to. The film is powered by incredible performance of the actors. There is a reason to say this. You see, mostly we judge the acting level according to dialogue delivery and expressions but here in this film the actors have more silent scenes than talking ones. It gives them liberty to behave naturally on screen and their presence fulfills the all the requirements of good acting. Biju Menon, Parvathy Thiruvothu and Samharafudeen all three have given fabulous performances. Aarkkariyam is more like an art film, a realistic drama so expectedly the screenplay and cinematography are curved towards the artistic zone. Sanu John Varghese's attempt to leave the audience with an ideal thought of inner burden and mistaken guilt is very much convincing. The only problem with it is, it takes too much time for that and slow pace feels annoying sometimes. Nevertheless, it's an effective sip of a slow poison.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Aarkkariyam (transl. Who Knows) is a Biju Menon show through and through. A shaky, half-baked script with not enough depth is held together and made watchable purely due to his compelling performance as an ageing patriarch.

Sharaf U Deen and Parvathy star as a down-on-their-luck couple who relocate from Mumbai to Kerala due to their financial woes. The trials and tribulations they face as they try to sell off their ancestral property forms the rest of the story.

While the first half is a fun, aesthetically pleasing watch with enough intrigue, the second half reduces to a damp squib due to poor writing, leading up to a mediocre conclusion.

Much like Manju Warrier in the Priest, Parvathy's role is barely noticeable and criminally under-written. More screen time for Biju Menon and a tighter, edgier screenplay could have made this interesting premise into a thrill ride.

Watch it for a top performance from Biju Menon. He plays an aged man with grace and nuance, nailing the mannerisms, body language and even the tonality of a stereotypical 'Pala achayan'.

The movie overall, however, is very average.