Directed by debutante Rohith VS and co-written by Sameer Abdul, 'Adventures of Omanakuttan' is a film that you want to like whole- heartedly but cannot. The length is tedious, there are a few incompletely drawn character arcs and subplots, and prolonged segments that do not make sense to the overall picture (like the drug angle, the antagonist taxi-driver, the dream-like sequence featuring Asif Ali's different get-ups, the dress-up scene as the IPS officer).
The synopsis does have dollops of potential written all over it. At one point, we feel shades of magical realism; at another, we feel shades of identity crisis; and at yet another, there's a crime/thriller overtone. The general overlapping of tones isn't smooth. Comedy does elevate the film on a few occasions (especially when Saiju Kurup pops up!) and towards the climax portions but the average viewer is bound to have run out of interest to bother.
The writers needed to stick to a single (or a maximum of two) sub- plots to maintain pacing and make the characters feel more cordial for the viewer to back their interests. Here, on one hand, we have Omanakuttan (Asif Ali), a tele-sales agent in a hair oil manufacturing company, who utilizes modern technology to mask his true (timid, introverted) identity and pretend to be a whole lot of other people. On the other, we have Pallavi a ghost-hunter who wants to make it big (that too, by pledging her family assets).
Just when I was hoping to see more on how Omanakuttan deals with the practical side of his "multiple-persona" issue, the story all of a sudden shifts to a scenario of memory-loss and the search for "true identity". This was indeed a welcome change and the movie seemed to have taken a turn for the better when the fate of Bhavana's character unexpectedly gets intertwined with Ali's. Although the proceedings in the second half are more engaging than the first, the director falters in packaging the final product sprucely. A little trimming here and there could've done wonders for the film. The supporting cast comprising of Siddique, Shajon, Aju Varghese and the rest are reasonably good. This isn't an experiment gone wrong per se, but loose ends could've been tied up better. The viewer doesn't feel that proper closure was given to the character played by Asif Ali even when the credits start rolling. (Hint: A TV/Web series would have been a much better idea!).
Cinematography is laudable; there is a certain richness evident in the frames (especially the shots during the night). Music (& BGM) impresses partially. What needed to get better was the editing (and to an extent, the writing). Still, I'd say 'Adventures of Omanakuttan' is worth giving a shot for its unusual theme.
Verdict: Shines in parts, than overall.
