IBTimes Rating 3.5
Actor Vineeth Kumar's directorial debut "Ayaal Njanalla", released on 31 July, will be remembered as the comeback film of Fahadh Faasil, who had a few commercial failures recently.
The storyline is nothing to boast about. The simple story deals with the life of Pachu aka Prakashan, played by Fahadh. Prakashan, who hails from Koyilandy in Kerala, has been working as an assistant to his uncle (T G Ravi) at a tyre shop in Kutch, Gujarat for 15 years.
Like other youngsters, Prakashan also dreams of living a happy life. He wants to renovate the shop and settle down with his love Isha, played by Mrudula Murali.
However, certain unexpected turn of events become a hurdle for him to achieve his dreams, following which he moves to Bengaluru to sort out the issues. The crux of the story is about his life in Bengaluru that brings about a dramatic change in him.
Direction
Actor Vineeth, who began his career as a child artiste in "Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha", proves that he is equally comfortable behind the camera. He has delivered a decent entertainer, one of the notable Malayalam films released this year.
Script
The main highlight of the film is the Koyilandy slang in which Prakashan speaks. Every dialogue causes a laugh riot, thanks to the brilliant script by Ranjith.
Casting
The director has done a good job in selecting the right cast for the film. Fahadh, who was once called the 'Emraan Hashmi of Malayalam', has again proved that he can excel in comedy roles. The film has two heroines, Mrudula Murali and debutant Divya Pillai, who have done their parts well.
Mrudula, who has earlier appeared in a few Malayalam films, plays the role of a Gujju girl, daughter of a Malayali father and a Gujarati mother. She looks lovely in traditional Gujju avatar and has done justice to her character with her natural acting. She is also in a beautiful song sequence shot in Gujarat.
Divya, the other heroine, portrays a bubbly modern college girl. Though she had faced the camera for the first time, her screen presence needs a special mention.
"India's Got Talent" fame Akshat Singh is also a part of the movie and plays the role of Mottu, the brother of Isha. He also gets to show off his excellent dancing skills in the movie.
The film also has Renji Panicker, Tini Tom, Jins Baskar, Noby Marcose of "Vodafone Comedy Stars" fame, Dinesh Prabhakar and S P Sreekumar of "Marimayam" fame.
Other Highlights
Cinematographer Shamdat has captured the landscape of Gujarat beautifully. The picturisation of 'Neelavan Mukile Nee' is commendable. Another highlights of the film are the two romantic songs and music by Manu Ramesan.
Drawback
From the film's sudden climax, it looks like the makers were in a hurry to wrap the film.
Final take: "Ayaal Njanalla" is a clean entertainer worth watching for Fahadh's performance.
