1001 Nunakal Movie Review: Thamar's 1001 Nunakal reminded me a lot of Jeethu Joseph's 12th Man, and not in a bad way. The weakest part of that Mohanlal-starrer was its first half, where the central characters (and later suspects in a murder), who are all couples, play a dinner-table game that ends up harming the dynamics of the group and revealing hidden secrets. This plot element was borrowed from the 2016 Spanish film Perfect Strangers.

1001 Nunakal tweaks the rules of that game and features much better performances from a relatively unknown cast. The film does not need to create tension from any unsolved murders, and instead finds enough anxiety in the increasingly brittle relationships of the group. A missing watch caused me more palpitations than who the killer is.

1001 Nunakal is about a group of friends living in Dubai, most of them married couples, who come together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of one of the couples. This follows a building fire that leaves another two couples temporarily homeless, and they seek refuge in the house of the ones about to celebrate their anniversary. On the night of the celebration, more couples join in, as well as their lawyer friend, who specialises in divorce, and whose wife has gone to Kerala for a visit.

The other friends criticise him for his way of making a living by breaking up marriages, since one such couple friend of theirs got divorced over a misunderstanding. The lawyer, who is simply called "Vakeel" by others and does not get a name, argues that it is the lack of honest conversations that break marriages, not him. He proposes a game of truth or dare to see how compatible each couple is in terms of honesty. Although not everyone is on board, some of the more confident couples agree. However, as the secrets and truths come out, the relationships are put to the test in just a matter of hours.

There is also a parallel storyline about a domestic help at the couple's residence who goes through a moral dilemma after her husband finds himself in a financial predicament.

Watch the Trailer of 1001 Nunakal:

What works so well in 1001 Nunakal is the way the characters and their relationships are written. With the exception of the domestic helper and her husband, the rest of the couples belong to the upper echelons of society. However, the film still manages to give each couple a distinct social, financial, and personality perspective that continues to evolve over the course of the night, either bringing out the best or worst in them, or even exposing some of their projected personalities as hollow.

It was interesting to see how the long-married women in the group react to the newly-wed woke Aleena's outspoken views on women not being second to anyone with a sense of rebellion. And yet, it was also interesting to see how Aleena's argument on being truthful and honest to your partner rang hollow when she herself admitted to pranking her husband into not ironing his clothes, rather than simply asking him to do it himself.

There is Vakeel, who seems so confident about marriage and honesty in that institution, but over the course of the night, you become suspicious that this is only because his better half is not present, especially when he is shown to be anxious when the hostess Divya video-calls his wife. After the watch goes "missing," the cracks deepen further, reiterating that trust is not only important in marriage but also in friendship.

The most fascinating aspect of the film is how relatable each character is. You can easily imagine yourself as one or more of them. Whether it's the disruptive Rajesh with his terrible inferiority complex, or Benzy and Joffy, the self-proclaimed "happiest" couple whose declaration is challenged by a single confession, you feel connected to every character or couple. The fact that 1001 Nunakal manages to say so much within its limited arena is commendable.

1001 Nunakal is not a perfect film. There are some plot contrivances that feel like they were added just to increase the dramatic tension. For example, when Mujeeb reveals a big secret to his pregnant wife, it doesn't feel like the right time for him to do so, even though it's part of the game. Unlike Benzy sharing her big secret, we never see Mujeeb facing an emotional conflict, and he also joins the party late. The storyline between Indu, the domestic help, and her husband is crucial to the plot, but it doesn't have the impactful conclusion that I expected. However, the final shot of actress Remya Suresh (Indu) staring into the camera and into our conscience says a lot without the need for words.

The entire cast is fantastic. Even though I only recognised a few faces, such as Remya Suresh, Zhinz Shan (her husband), and Vidhya Vijaykumar (Aleena), even the newcomers gave strong performances. The standouts are Vishnu Agastya (Vinay), Niiniin Kassim (Divya), Shamla Hamza (Salma), and Sudheesh Scaria (Vakeel).

Final Thoughts

1001 Nunakal can be enjoyed by those who appreciate movies that take a minimalist approach yet still pack a dramatic punch. It is a well-told film that makes effective use of its limited resources, with excellent performances from a lesser-known cast that deliver a gripping drama. 1001 Nunakal is currently streaming on SonyLIV.

Rating:3.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2023 09:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).