Varshangalkku Shesham Movie Review: Pranav Mohanlal-Dhyan Sreenivasan's Film is Solely For Feel-Good Enthusiasts With an Enjoyable Nivin Pauly Cameo (LatestLY Exclusive)

Varshangalkku Shesham Movie Review: Varshangalkku Shesham, the new film by actor-director Vineeth Sreenivasan (and friends, as the end credits proudly proclaim), is for those who love his brand of feel-good cinema. Varshangalkku Shesham has pleasing moments, enjoyable comic scenes, and one-liners, along with an enviable roster of popular actors, some of whom appear merely for a scene or two. Vineeth's direction is pleasing and caters well to his fan base. However, if you are someone who wasn't in awe of his recent over-indulgence when it comes to storytelling, as seen in his previous release Hridayam, there is a mighty chance that, like me, you would come out of the theatre with mixed feelings. Aavesham, Varshangalkku Shesham, Jai Ganesh Pan-India Release in Trouble! PVR-INOX Chain Refuses Screens for Malayalam Vishu 2024 Movies - Here's Why.

Varshangalkku Shesham is set across a span of 50 years and revolves around the friendship between Venu (Dhyan Sreenivasan) and Murali (Pranav Mohanlal). The first half of the film is set in the '70s and introduces us to the bonding between these two, which begins in a hamlet in Kerala before crossing state borders to Chennai, then Madras, where they aspire to fulfil their film aspirations. Venu, invested in theatre and a good writer, and Murali, a talented but aimless composer, struggle to earn money on a daily basis.

Watch the Trailer of Varshangalkku Shesham:

However, a stroke of luck pushes Venu into the big league, while Murali's lack of ambition and an ill-thought moment of generosity leads to a situation that creates a wedge between the two friends.

The First Act

Varshangalkku Shesham starts off well. The main story is told as a flashback by an elderly Venu to his hired car driver, played by the director himself, in an interesting role reversal where the actual storyteller becomes the audience. The native land portions in the first act are pleasant to watch, mostly thanks to their comical treatment and the instantly likeable bromance between Venu and Murali.

There is also a love track interspersed here, between Murali and Annie (Kalyani Priyadarshan), a girl in Venu's college. However, apart from being a minor reason to push Murali to Madras, the track doesn't bring the dramatic weight it aims to add to the film. Annie returns at a crucial point later on, but in hindsight, the film could have done without her. In fact, the movie lacks a strong female character.

Madraspattinam

Varshangalkku Shesham raises its tempo when the duo reaches Madras. The light-hearted sequences bring in the laughs, and the entry of Aju Varghese as a dumb producer works well with the narrative. Film buffs might also enjoy some of the nostalgic Easter eggs, and meta-humour served here. Music composer Shaan Rahman, making his acting debut, appears as this pervy superstar - a Saroj Kumar of his era - and he reminded me a lot of Murali Gopy physically. It was an amusing role but doesn't matter much, though he is a catalyst to a cute proposal scene involving a reluctant actress, played by Neeta Pillai.

But here's also where the cracks begin to show, not just between the two protagonists but also in the film.

Weak Plot Conflict

It was an intriguing idea to use the film's standout song, the beautifully rendered "Nyabakam," as a catalyst for drama. This not only establishes Murali's wavering nature regarding his life's desires but also unveils his insecure disposition for the first time. However, the subsequent drama feels contrived at best. It prompts questions about Murali's talent as a musician ("why can't he compose more songs instead of drowning himself in alcohol?"), as well as their friendship ("why didn't Venu involve Murali more in his first film?") and the director's grasp of the era's musical context. Whether set in the 70s or the 80s, in Malayalam or Tamil cinema, those eras were rich with melodies, so defining an artist by just one song felt unconvincing. Nonetheless, the scene that drives a wedge between the friends, after Murali drunkenly barges into Venu's house at night, is well-executed. Otherwise, it's laughable that the two leads, and even the film itself, would seek to blame a third person for their misfortune when it is clearly Murali's immaturity to blame here.

That's the hallmark of Vineeth Sreenivasan's direction. Even when the writing lacks coherence or feels overly dramatic, the director still manages to salvage the scene with his crowd-pleasing presentation and framing, and by extracting at least watchable performances from his actors, two of whom are not particularly known for their dramatic skills. Hridayam Movie Review: Pranav Mohanlal Is Charming, Kalyani Priyadarshan Is Bubbly but Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Sappy Film Needed More ‘Darshana’!

The Second Act

However, even he struggles to rein it in during the second half, which is set in present times but again told mostly in flashbacks. Varshangalkku Shesham may venture into Udayananu Thaaram territory here, with Venu striving to reclaim his lost aura with a comeback. The presence of Basil Joseph (very amiable with some good one-liners), Neeraj Madhav (who is hilarious even in two scenes), and the re-entry of Aju Varghese adds to the mirth. There's also a surprise cameo, mostly intended to elicit gasps from the audience and add star value to an already stacked cast, but otherwise, it is not very impactful.

Yes, the much-awaited entry of Nivin Pauly brings a different energy level to the film. Pauly portrays Nithin Molly, a haughty star with a poor box office record, essentially an exaggerated parody of himself. What works with the character is that Nivin seems to be having fun with the role, which takes plenty of digs at himself and at his detractors, and that translates well on screen, much to our amusement. The scene where he rants about how the politics in cinema work against an 'outsider' like him is quite the highlight. However, at times, Varshangalkku Shesham seems to be trying too hard with him to bring in the laughs, almost as if they needed him to distract from the weak writing in these portions.

The film evolves into more of a satire by then on the present state of Indian cinema, taking jabs at online critics, Insta reel stardom, and even a self-deprecatory dig at Pranav's Himalayan sojourn. Yet, I found it not offering anything new that Malayalam Cinema hasn't attempted in the past, even with weaker films on cinema like Mohan Kumar Fans, Cinema Company, and Josettante Hero. In the process, however, the mainplotline gets waylaid, and when the movie attempts to include more drama, it feels forced and overwrought. Once again, Vineeth's assured direction, a lovely background score from Amrit Ramnath, and Viswajith Odukkathil's beautiful frames come to the rescue, but Varshangalkku Shesham direly needs better writing and editing in the second half. Varshangalkku Shesham Song ‘Pyara Mera Veera’: Nivin Pauly Is Set To Rule Hearts and This Electrifying Number From Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Film Is Proof!

Nadikar Thilakam

Speaking of performances, Dhyan Sreenivasan surprised me a lot. He was the star of the film's pre-release promotions, and upon seeing him in Varshangalkku Shesham, I understood where that enthusiasm came from. The actor knows this is the role of a lifetime for him, and he delivers well in the light-hearted scenes and even in the dramatic portions (particularly notable in that first altercation scene). Here's hoping that he becomes more selective with his roles from here on.

Pranav Mohanlal, I felt, was more or less in the same space as he was in Hridayam. There are scenes where he performs well enough (most of them involve him not talking but rather expressing), there are scenes where he is just about okay (when he has to play a geriatric), and there are scenes where he is awkward and unconvincing (especially in the 'drunk' scenes, where he ends up ill-advisedly reminding me of how his great father pulled off such scenes with charming ease). Also, both the actors (and even Kalyani for that matter) were not very convincing when they had to portray their characters as 70-year-olds, though Dhyan still fared better. It made me wonder if it would have been a stroke of genius in casting if the makers had roped in their actual dads to play the roles in these portions. There would have been genuine nostalgic value when Dhyan and Pranav invoke a certain iconic dialogue from Nadodikaattu, instead of being a crowd-pleasing callback.

Final Thoughts on Varshangalkku Shesham

If you're someone who unquestionably loves the Vineeth Sreenivasan brand of cinema, there's a high chance you'll be applauding when the end credits roll. However, if you're more discerning, like yours truly, and demand more from a film than just feel-good moments and fan-baiting nostalgia and cameos, there's a possibility that Varshangalkku Shesham may not completely captivate you.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 11, 2024 06:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).