Post the 2012 culinary drama Ustad Hotel, Anwar Rasheed returns to the director's chair with Trance. Starring Fahadh Faasil, Nazriya Nazim, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Chemban Vinod Jose, Soubin Shahir and Vinayakan in important roles, the drama is produced by Anwar Rasheed Entertainment.
Written by Vincent Vadakkan, Trance boasts of a stellar technical crew that comprises cinematographer Amal Neerad and sound design by Resul Pookutty while Jackson Vijayan makes his debut as composer.
Viju Prasad (Fahadh Faasil), a struggling motivational trainer, gets recruited by Solomon Davis (Gautham Vasudev Menon) and Issac (Chemban Vinod Jose) after watching his previous work.
Viju transforms under the tutelage of Avarachan (Dilesh Pothan) and rechristens himself as Pastor Joshua Carlton aka JC Trance, explores the possibilities of men turning into Gods through the desire for 'want', a word Solomon stresses on. The rise of Viju Prasad from a nobody to a swashbuckling showman.
The first half is packed with impactful emotional beats, that reveal Viju's fragile psyche. The storytelling feels like a fine blend of style and substance. Despite the apparent predictability of the interval scene involving a supposed exposé of Joshua's practices by Matthews (Soubin Shahir) on live television, the performances add to the intrigue of the scene's payoff.
After a focused first half, the film falters in the latter half, where Joshua witnesses his fall, on a personal front. The narrative introduces Esther Lopez (Nazriya Nazim), whose primary function is to monitor JC's medication. The character's unclear motives and sudden disappearance leads to a confusing turn in the narrative.
The screenplay also throws a predictable subplot involving a father who blindly relies on JC's miracles to cure his daughter. Despite the issues, the second half builds a convincing case that juxtaposes Viju’s 'delusions of grandeur', that is fed by Joshua Carlton's 'miracle worker' persona.
Fahadh Faasil transports us into the vulnerable mind Viju Prasad by delivering a thrilling, physical performance. The actor effortlessly sells the flawed godman with his energetic presence. Gautham Vasudev Menon conveys Solomon's shrewd personality with an understated performance. Amal Neerad's cinematography brilliantly complements the grandeur of Trance. One really wishes that Soubin's character of a journalist was written with some depth. With a few flaws aside, Trance is an engrossing character study.