Varathan

When this film is reviewed, there are certain mandatory guidelines that should be followed before breaking down the pros and cons of the movie. The first one is that it is a freaking Amal Neerad movie. Forget your fast paced thriller scenes. Forget clichéd wide shots. Forget plot advancements. Forget TIME. Amal demands your patience. His films has an extensive use of slo mo shots. So much that it can actually extend the film by 20-30 minutes. These might be things that you would criticize about his movies. It could also be pros of the movie. But either way Amal creates every single one of his movies this way and Varathan is no different. It steers clear of some of Amal's stereotypical themes. It's actually a step high of CIA and a step down from Iyobinte Pusthakam.

Varathan on the outside, is a clear cut thriller film. It could be categorized as a drama/action/thriller film. The genres that has undergone mixing are great ones and that is in itself a great pro. Amal Neerad has commanded attention from the very first shot. Something many directors find it hard. Varathan succeeds on so many levels. It's perhaps a unique find in malayalam mainstream cinema. It's a breath of fresh air. The plot is lazy. That's usually the case for an Amal Neerad film. Style over substance. Varathan is that with the exception of the first hour and a half. The first half is so damn thrilling that you would wonder whether it's a Amal movie or not. The second half's 30 minutes into the finish prove to us that it is indeed an Amal Neerad film. The performances were pretty good. All of them. Some tonal inconsistencies in the first half. Incorporating songs just for the sake of it and some glaring holes about the philosophy of violence in this film. But well, it's an Amal Neerad Movie.

Fahadh, Aiswarya and probably every one of the supporting cast gave a splendid, convincing performance. The only thing that i had a clear cut problem was the action scenes. I completely understand Amal's style. But the fight scenes could have been a little bit better. A LOT better, actually.

Varathan is an adaptation of the 1971 film Straw Dogs. In terms of similarity in making, both of them are vastly different. But the ideas, the themes that arise are pretty much the same. A great adaptation in short.

Varathan is a treat for all of those who adore film in it's raw form. Amal Neerad makes sure that you're hooked and if you ain't he's got a big title card at the end that says 'AN AMAL NEERAD FILM'. I'm sure everybody will be hooked to that.

A great thriller for the weekend. And outstanding acting by fahad. Great keep going mollywood

The movie started slow but the wait was fruitful. When the movie started, I thought its a horror movie but then the last 30 minutes just overshadowed the flaws. Enjoyed the change in character of Fahad Fazil. This movie showed that one shouldn't be quiet and women instincts should be considered to avoid any situation like this.

Positives:

1. BGM: Sushin Shyam create a good BGM score 2. Cinematography & Color Tone: First half was slightly lag but the Littil Swayamp frames cover the laggines 3. Amal Neerad;s narration & making style 4. Fahad Faazil & Aishwarya combination scene was pretty good 5. Sharafudheen,Vijilesh Karayad, Arjun Ashokan characters. they give outstanding and surprise performance 6. Climax: One of the main highlight is climax, action scenes & BGM in climax was pretty good

Negatives:

1. Slightly laaging in first half 2. Need more scary atmosphere in first half

Varathan is a thriller-action drama movie directed by Amal Neerad starring Fahadh Faasil, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sharafudheen, Dileesh Pothan and various other talented faces and it tells the story of Abin and Priya, a couple settled in Dubai who after going through some hurdles in their personal and professional lives decides to move to Priya's father's estate back in Kerala. But things are not so friendly over there and the couple is faced with men who crave for a woman's body and a society of people who mock at a man and woman together. Varathan is truly an entertaining movie, but it has it share of problems. However let us start with the good stuff first. Firstly, the cinematography is jaw-dropping. Littil Swayamp has done it once in Parava and has done it again in Varathan and he is proving he is one of the most talented people in the industry. The camera shots and setting are presented beautifully and there is some amazing stuff to be seen towards the end of the movie. Secondly, the acting. Fahadh Faasil knocks it out of the park once again as Abin, which we should be expecting at this point. He is one of the best in the malayalam industry. This is not in anyway the maximum of his potential as his character is one which does not have a lot of depth but its fine. Aishwarya Lekshmi gives out a genuinely good performance. Her character could have been annoying but she handles it with grace. Dileesh Pothan is fine as his character however he does not have much to do. The absolutely amazing performances of the movie belong to Sharafudeen and Vijilesh. They were fricking amazing, menacing, ruthless and genuinely annoying. The background score and action scenes are very well done and put out a good show. The bad parts of the movie are prominent. The movie falls into cliche territory, with a lot of the plot being predictable. You can see stuff happening miles before they actually happen and this is bad for any movie. This predictability makes the majority of the movie difficult to get through and thus the movie lags a lot. The plot is stretched out for so long. The director is intending to build the characters and the plot, however personally I feel as if these characters does not have much to be built about as they are caricatures of what they portray. Also a minor nitpick I have with this movie is that the songs does not really match the tone of the movie. Some of the songs break up that tone of the movie with booming EDM music which I thought were unnecessary. However, I must mention the final 15-20 minutes of the film which will shake up the theatre. The action sequences are so goddamn good! All in all, Varathan is an enjoyable thriller-action flick with some fine acting, good bgm, incredible cinematography and action sequences that will stick on your mind long after the credits roll.