Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam Movie Review: Senna Hegde’s Malayalam Film on SonyLIV Is Funny and Relatable, and That’s Its Big Win! (LatestLY Exclusive)

Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam Movie Review: Senna Hegde's award-winning Malayalam film, Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam, is a delightful little indie flick. Featuring a cast filled mostly with newcomers and equipped with a delectable Kanhagand accent, the events of a film revolve around, as the title spoils for you, an engagement about to happen on a Monday. But most of the happenings take place the day prior, as we focus on a family trying their best to make it a grand event, within their limited means. Only that the plans don't exactly go their way. Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam Trailer: Senna Hegde’s Family Drama Promises Rib-Tickling And Heart-Melting Moments, Film Soon To Stream On SonyLIV.

The patriarch (Manoj KU) is the most enthused about his younger daughter's engagement, as this in his mind, would redeem his 'mistake' of getting his elder daughter (Unnimaya Nalappadam) to the man she loves. After all, his prospective new son-in-law is a Gulf expatriate, just like the patriarch himself was once upon a time, and that itself cinches the deal for him, never mind that the marriage is fixed in just one meet.

The matriarch (Ajisha Prabhakaran) is more harried; she has to deal with a temperamental husband, keep her daughters at peace and also worry about the plateware in which to serve the guests (leading to a very subtly funny sequence that ends with the patriarch having egg on his face). The bride (Anagha Narayanan) has no interest in the marriage and plans to elope with her boyfriend (Arjun Ashokan) that very night.

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In many ways, Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam reminded me of  Lijo Jose Pellisery's brilliant Ee Ma Yau. Even if Death was the central theme of the latter - quite an antithetical idea compared to Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam - how the events move forward in both the films can find easy parallels with each other, such is the human behaviour, which both the films explore slyly. The main incidents in both movies  - a funeral and an engagement - see main characters often in conflicts either with each other or within themselves (the bride here is worried about hurting her family with her elopement), underlying tensions threatening to surface any moments, trickling in of relatives and well-wishers who ain't all wishing well and unexpected manner in which the day ends, that sees the central figure in both the movies go berserk.

Like with Ee Ma Yau, it is the little moments in Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam, co-written by the director with Sreeraj Raveendran, that charm us, and make us exclaim, 'hey, this is so our family!'. Like, for example, the writing around the Gulf-returned patriarch who has total disdain for our country's democracy, while praising Kuwait's monarchy in front of his Left-inclining friend. Even though his political affiliation is never spelt out, it isn't hard to guess who he would be rooting for when the elections are around the corner.

Then there is also the fact that he is quite the lion in front of his family members, but scampers away to his hole when a money lender arrives at his door, leaving his gutsier wife to handle the situation. The only time he is roused into action is when the opposite party insults his wife's honour, but that has less to do about his wife, but more because he sees it as a slight to his masculinity. Kaanekkaane Movie Review: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Tovino Thomas and Aishwarya Lekshmi’s Film Is a Heartrending Exploration of Grief, Guilt and Absolution.

Even the sequences between the elder daughter, her husband (who goes all out to please his father-in-law only to keep getting the cold-shoulder) and a bank manager relative are interesting, so are the 'romantic' moments between the patriarch Vijayan and his wife, that near the climax make a very abrupt sudden turn. In the middle, I felt a little lag, as the movie was waiting for the lull to hang on till it can jump into the chaos of a finale. The songs by Mujeeb Majeed are nice; LJP's influences in the picturisation can't be missed out, though. The humour is subtle and effective, save for the character of Gireesan (Ranji Kankol), who while funny, belongs more in a Shafi film than here. The same goes for the culmination of the film, that introduces a new character, while going farcical and thus, leaves the film with a lacking impact. That said, the scene played during the end-credits was hilarious! 51st Kerala State Film Awards Full Winners List: Jeo Baby’s The Great Indian Kitchen, Anna Ben, Jayasurya Win Big.

The actors are all natural and excellent, though Manoj KU, Ajisha Prabhakaran and Unnimaya Nalappadam become the obvious standouts.

Yay!

- The Making and the Performances

Nay!

- Gireesan's Subplot and The Climax

Final Thoughts

Thinkalazhcha Nischayam is short, sweet, satirical and quite thoughtful in its understanding of relationship dynamics and inherent patriarchy, without losing its subtle humour. The movie is streaming on SonyLIV app.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 29, 2021 12:03 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).