Aarkkariyam stars Biju Menon in the lead role along with Parvathy Thiruvothu and Sharafudheen. The film is set in the time of the Covid pandemic when Roy and Shirley decide to leave Mumbai to meet her father Ittyavira in Pala. Aarkkariyam is a drama that has an engaging premise, but has the execution impressed the audience? Read on to know more.
The story revolves around Roy, Shirley, and her father Ittyavira, who get together at the time of the Covid pandemic at Shirley’s home in Pala. Soon, Roy discovers a secret that Shirley’s father had been hiding for years from everyone. What happens next and what is the untold incident behind it forms the rest of the story.
Aarkkariyam follows an offbeat kind of filmmaking. It may not serve the commercial audiences who seek more entertainment but is the cup of tea for offbeat cinephiles. Being an unconventional film, it successfully holds its grip, without boring the audience, but the slowness in the script seems to be a major concern.
The film kicks off well, with a feel-good tone, giving great expectations. It soon deviates from the breezy tone and gets into the core of the storyline. It starts to build hope, but soon the entire film falls flat, with nothing exciting more to offer.
The film, though, has some really good performances. Biju Menon as Ittyavira is outstanding. His mannerisms and dialogue delivery; everything is perfect. With a startling performance, he has really hit the ball out of the park. Sharafudeen as Roy is also convincing and appealing. Parvathy as Shirley does a neat job, making it a perfect casting for the film.
The film’s script is penned by Sanu John Varghese, Rajesh Ravi, and Arun Janardhanan. Though the plot had a good scope to shine, the offbeat treatment does not go well with the film’s premise. A much sharper writing and better execution could have made this a much superior flick.
G. Sreenivas Reddy’s cinematography is neat. His visuals provide a beautiful outlook of the whole place the film is set in. The lighting and tone have added to the visuals, which helps the film visually to convey the emotions to the audience.
Sanu John Varghese, who has worked as the cinematographer of many successful films like Take Off, Badhai Ho, etc, makes his directorial debut here. Though the film had enormous scope, he falls short.