22 Female Kottayam - Bold and Beautiful!

[nryn]

Show: 11:30 PM, 13-April-2012 (FDFS)
Status: Balcony nearly full (4-5 seats vacant), FC - Not too many
Theatre: Kairali, Trivandrum

Ashique has been hyping at 22 Female Kottayam since its inception. To be frank it was off-putting to see so much of his face in the promotions. I had serious doubts on whether this movie would fall flat on its face and turn out to be an embarrassment. Even with such negativity in my head, I was blown away by the film.

To be honest, this film is not everybody's cup of tea. Its like watching an enthralling test match. A nice buildup, culminating in an excellent finale. Not necessarily, a pulse racing affair. But a lot more satisfying in the end. I seriously doubt its success in this T20 era. This film tries to stay away from the new-gen cliches as much as possible. An urban setting with sexually liberated folks would be something that we can call a new-gen element. Whatever element it is, I have seen lives like this in Bangalore. They may be outliers, but they are there.

Ashique has done a good job as the director. His best work so far. I thought SnP was a tad overrated from a direction point of view though it was thoroughly enjoyable. The narration and treatment was really good. Kudos to him for striking a balance between going downright arty and typical commercial cinema. Some may find this as a negative, but I felt that this approach made the film very enjoyable. The best part of the treatment is that the theme would have strayed into the titillating territory in a lesser directors hand.

Script could have been better. Crispier script would have avoided some amount of drag in the film, especially in the second half. Though the dialogues were adequate, the film deserved better, memorable lines. Cinematography from Shyju Khalid is top class. Bijibal and Rex has done a brilliant job with the BGM. Music gelled well with the film. Editing was also spot on for most part. Art direction was good, but being a bachelor in Bangalore, I wonder if nurses can afford such a lavish apartment.

Rima is in top form in this film. I think she has dubbed for herself and for the first time she has done a brilliant job in a full length role. Kudos to her for a controlled performance. There were lot of places where she could have gone overboard and destroyed the scene. She managed to punch above her weight and gave a scintillating performance. If Kavya can sweep awards for her bulging eyes in Gaddama, I will be royally pissed if Rima doesn't sweep the awards next year.

I loved Fahad in the movie. He was very good throughout and upstaged Rima in the climax sequences. Till now, I was thinking he would do good only as the urban yuppie. Though this role is typical Fahad, I really want him to see in other roles after watching this performance. Loved the drunk scenes and the scene where he corrects Rimas "pha". Rima-Fahad chemistry is electrifying to say the least. You feel that they are connected even while they are not even in a touching distance.

Sathar was good as the stylish Casanova. Prathap Pothan was also good as the eccentric Hegde. Refreshing to see familiar yet not too familiar faces in prominent roles. TG Ravi had a decent role which he did well as usual.

22FK cannot be clubbed as a typical new-gen film. It doesnt employ a difficult narrative. Its not very light-hearted or have sudden twists and turns. At its soul, its a Malayalam film with a strong story and well-etched characters. Th film has a slow build-up like many of the foreign drama films, which people do not appreciate when seen in Malayalam.

TL;DR: 22FK is a brilliant film with a strong story and excellent performances. Watch it if you are a connoisseur of good films. Stay away if you want some brain-dead entertainment.

Rating: Excellent

[Sameer]

Thanks nryn........!

[Hari]

Thanks bahi...repped..........Rating 4.5 aano??

[ballu]

thanx nryn . yep rima has dubbed for the film . nidra ozhike baaki ellam films swantham voice thanne annu..!!

[muthalakunju]

thanks nryn...gud review...repped...

[ULTIMATE STAR]

thanks bhaiii...

gd review.... repped...

[reader]

thnx nryn..............emotional scenes'l rimayude voice alpam bore aanu.....

[Jithu]

Thanks nryn....Good review...Review ezhuthumpo oru dictionary free tharanam ketto..

[Brother]

superb review nryn...!

[bhat]

thanks but cant agree with the review