Irupathiyonnam Noottandu (Twenty-First Century), the title of Pranav Mohanlal's second film resembles the title of his father's superhit film Irupatham Noottandu (Twentieth Century). As it has been produced by hitmaker Tomichan Mulakupadam and has been written and directed by Ramaleela fame Arun Gopy, the expectations skyrocketed immediately after the film was announced.

Appu (Pranav) is a young homestay owner in Goa. He lives with his father, mother and younger sister. His father Baba (Manoj K Jayan) is a retired goon who got tricked and surpassed by Abusi (Kalabhavan Shajohn, the current Don in Goa) one of his followers. Amidst all the problems caused by his friend Macroni, Baba and Abusi, a young Malayali girl Zaya comes into his life on a Russian New Year eve. How her relationship with Appu affects his life is the soul of the film.

The best thing about the film is its cinematography. Abinandhan Ramanujam has captured each and every frame with a pinch of beauty in it. The cinematographer who made his debut in 2013 with the visually outstanding Malayalam film Amen, carries forward his legacy of making every movie a visual treat.

The next best thing about Irupathiyonnam Noottandu is its background score. With two decent songs and a splendid background score, Gopi Sunder ensures that the emotional content of the scenes connects with the audience.

To be frank, the film has a not-so-fresh story with a screenplay that contains many reused and obsolete scenes in it. Despite having a good director, the ineptitude embedded in the DNA of the story pulls down the movie from desired levels. One would expect a film with a much more novel content that ventures into unfamiliar terrain from the director of Ramaleela. Even though the humour in the predominantly film fails to strike the chord, it hits the right note a few times. The film also does not completely succeed in utilising Pranav's capability to perform exponentially well in stunt sequences.

Rachel David aka Zaya is another best thing that you get out of Irupathiyonnam Noottandu. Her performance shows no sign that she is a debutante. She has the grace and acting skill to be a successful actress in the Malayalam industry. Pranav has shown a better camera friendly behavior than in his first film but has a long way to go before becoming a good actor, especially because of his surname and comparison and expectations it tags along. Manoj K Jayan, Kalabhavan Shajohn and Abhishek have given decent performances, but the main protagonist was a little too dramatic.

Letdowns
* VFX in train top stunt
* lack of novelty
* lack of good humour

Highlights
* Rachel's performance
* Visuals
* Background score