ED: Extra Decent

The cinematic work entitled Extra Decent is a drama of a darkly humorous nature, directed by Aamir Pallikkal.

The film's narrative is focused on Binu. The subject has been diagnosed with both learning difficulties and mental health issues. From a very early age, he was confronted with the death of his older brother. Consequently, he exhibits behaviour that may be categorised as 'abnormal'. The father was known to rebuke him without provocation. Furthermore, he subjects Binu to derision and mockery in public. The father paid no attention to him whatsoever. Following the relocation of his younger sister, Nishima, to the United States, it became apparent to him that his parents had already made plans and taken action in relation to a new child during the period of his elder brother's coma. This has resulted in significant alterations. A marked shift in behaviour was evident in his interactions with the parents. It is evident that he has begun to exert a more dominant influence over them. A relocation was undertaken to a new apartment in the city. In the case of the parents, strict control was exercised by Binu. The subject exhibited an unconventional method of control, manifesting in the imposition of dietary restrictions and the scheduling of physical activities at inappropriate times. In response to his sister's disclosure of her affection for his friend, Sanju, the subject subjected both individuals to public humiliation and imposed restrictions on his parents' attendance at their matrimonial ceremony. He installed cameras in the family home for the purpose of observing the parents. The scenes are replete with dark humour. Subsequently, the parents of Binu formulated a plan to take the life of their offspring. Prior to the incident, the individual sustained a cranial injury that resulted in the loss of all prior memories. The family unit as a whole is opposed to the recuperation of his previous recollections. Notwithstanding, the implementation of their plans proves to be futile. Binu's recollection of past events gradually returned in full. However, in the presence of his family, he presented himself as someone who suffered from memory loss. It became apparent to him that the family had been attempting to erase his previous memories. At the time of his sister's return to the United States, he accompanied her to the airport and made a statement to all present regarding his recollections. The film is characterised by a pervasive sense of dark humour, which may not be universally appealing.

The narrative was of mediocre quality, but the direction was excellent. The performances are of a satisfactory standard. The integration of the musical scores with the film is noteworthy, with a harmonious blend that enhances the cinematic experience. It is this author's opinion that certain characters and scenes are not congruent with the rest of the film. It's valuable for one time watching.

It's an odd movie-with a rather improbable plot and unimaginable situations. But it doesn't disappoint, at least not to the level you'd expect. The screenplay lacks clarity, and the direction fails to impress. Still, there's something about it. It finds a strange sweet spot between a dark drama and a grey-toned comedy-if that makes sense. Suraj's performance is what keeps it afloat, doing a decent job of masking the glaring negatives.

Don't go in with high expectations and you might actually enjoy it. It starts to dip a little after the halfway point. The pacing and sequence of events begin to feel a bit dry, but not enough to completely lose you. There are certain moments that genuinely make you laugh. It's one of those movies that leave you feeling uneasy and unsure-was it good or bad? You can't really tell.

So sorry to mention that the movie ED produced by such a talented actor like Suraj Venjaramoodu fell really so short of expectations. Maybe it was mainly because of the poor story line of the writer??. The movie has left only a feeling of "Monotony" without much to feel that it's a commedy as shown in the ads of the movie. Like what the so talented Late Sri Siddique Sir told me when I was able to meet him and ask him why many films don't perform well, he gave me the important answer - "Lack of correct Judgement" as the main reason. I am sure there was really something wrong in the judgement by the people involved in production of the movie ED. Sorry to say that it would not run long in theatres. Dr K Madhav, Independent Social Researcher and an appreciator of Good Forms of Art, including Music, in which I have been involved for some time Thank God.

ED: Extra Decent took me by surprise as I saw shades of rare black humour in a Malayalam film. The titular moniker is for Suraj Venjaramoodu's character where he dons the hat of the "most dysfunctional" in his small dysfunction family. The attempt at comedy is mostly tired but ED still manages to make you laugh here and there. But what definitely grabs your attention is Suraj's performance as the eccentric and weird grown-up who has scores to settle. I had a ball watching this with my family as we could ask each other if we would ever do something like what the characters in the film do to each other. A good watch!

On the whole, the film worked for me based on the following:

1. Suraaj's performance as the psychotic Binu-exhibiting sadistic shades and cleverly concealing that persona-is spectacular.

2. Ashif Kakkodi's script keeps the proceedings engaging with instances of dark humour sprinkled throughout the narrative. Several "family cliches" are subverted.

3. Aamir Pallikkal's directorial treatment is a vast improvement from Ayisha.

4. Ankit Menon's music packs more to each scene - be it an underlining of dark comedy or emotions.

5. Great comedic timing exhibited by the supporting cast - especially Shyam Mohan, Vineeth Thattil David, and Raffi.

6. Vinaya Prasad aces her subtle-yet-crazy mommy role.

7. Not the perfectly packaged finale but it's apt as a concluding note.

8. This one is probably going to divide audiences based on their interest in / aversion to the genre. I liked it.