What if Georgekutty in Drishyam was forced to hide the crime from his family too? This is, in pop culture terms, the question put forward by Aarkkariyam, directed by reputed cinematographer Sanu John Varghese (in his debut), starring Biju Menon, Sharafudheen, and Parvathy Thiruvothu. But it doesn't directly get to this point at the start of the film. Aarkkariyam is essentially a drama that unfurls at an unhurried pace, slowly establishing characters, their relationships, and texture. It remains so entirely, even with that somewhat shocking reveal mid-way. The acoustic guitar score reinstates this in the second half. Writers Rajesh Ravi and Arun Janardanan (alongside Sanu) place the story in contemporary, pandemic times. While the pandemic is what drives certain decisions in the film, it never accelerates the pace or pushes it into thriller territory.
The thrills, if any, are relegated to the characters' inner psyches. Aarkkariyam becomes a study of sorts in the latter half, delving deeper into the characters of Ittyavira (Biju Menon) and Roy (Sharafudheen), with Sherly (Parvathy) becoming slightly less significant as she is unaware of said twisty revelation. What I liked is how the film doesn't turn overly melodramatic (or spiritual) at any point - the emotional transitions are subtle. The cast really elevates the okayish script - Biju Menon rises to the occasion as Ittyavira portraying the right body language of a septuagenarian while Sharafudheen handles the curious scenes with ease. Parvathy is effective but as mentioned, her character occupies a lesser space as the film progresses to its climax.
The character Roy juggles between Malayalam, Hindi, and English (prominently in the first half) - probably in an attempt to picture him as a longtime resident of Mumbai - but the English lines especially come off as jarring. Were these dialogues in English integral to the plot or the character in any way? Not so sure. The locales (just like in Joji) and aesthetics are a definite plus - the house, the tall rubber trees all around, the pond, even the dogs eagerly waiting for leftovers every night - all of it sticks. It's a notable debut indeed, and I'll watch out for Sanu's next!
