Sathyan Anthikad is the man. Some of his classics of the 80s and 90s are THE greatest Malayalam movies of all time and his Nadodikattu (1989) is my favorite Malayalam film of all time. Although he lost the old satiric perspective of things, he had entered the new millennium with a fair amount of average films. But his latest venture with some second-rate writers is far from appealing. It is a disaster.
Starting from the beginning, Ennum Eppozhum invites trouble. At a time when people want to directly dive into the film to relax after a day's work, here we have the credits appearing like it's a presentation. After at least seven minutes, the film begins with an off-putting Mohanlal whose terrible demeanor corroborates one's doubt about his "acting completeness," if you know what I mean.
Vineeth (Mohanlal) is a careless, bad-mannered, irresponsible, shameless, self-righteous, lazy quinquagenarian who works as a journalist for a family magazine. He drives a TATA Nano, you know, to suggest the people's man nonsense. Vineeth, hated by his colleagues and bosses, is assigned the task of interviewing Deepa (Warrier), a virtuous yet smug advocate, single mother, fierce yet namesake activist, Bharatanatyam dancer, and other hundred things. After Deepa became a media personage for advocating the perils of unending stream of potholes in her city, she becomes what she became in How Old Are You? (2014) - a sensation. Then everything in the plot happens for a single reason - to champion Manju Warrier as a sensation with unbeatable panache for going against all odds, thereby cramming the line between fiction and reality. The writers who intend to cash in on Warrier's unsurprising allure should understand that one is bored with stories that are relative to the actors who play the characters. The plot simply brands Warrier as a lady with superpowers. Otherwise, why else would she be characterized as a celebrated advocate a la her comeback film (2014) whose one daring, pretentious gimmick drives the whole film into becoming a chafing drama? Deepa is a lawyer, but one is hardly entertained by court proceedings or actual advocacy happening in the plot even when there were many occasions to do so. The film, which moves with a slow pace with fast-paced idiotic humor, totally loses it when Deepa is seen giving a Bharatanatyam performance during a bar association conference. Terrible!
Moreover, the whole film is based on fallacy. If Vineeth wanted to interview Deepa, he should have either intimated her through his respectable magazine editors or have directly called her for an appointment. But, no, Vineeth goes on a blundering spree - frequently showcasing childish antics - to get to Deepa, making her take him as a debaucher. Why should I sympathize for such a character? His ways are ridiculous and totally unprofessional, and since the whole film is based on this one interview, one should know better what to expect in the even numbing second half. The pointer is that suddenly the characters undergo a transformation after a cliché, and voilà - a happy climax.
There are at least two unnecessary characters who could have been used to depict some that seemed more important in the play, but are kept in the background. Mohanlal fumbles throughout, whose slapstick is cringe-worthy. Revisiting old films (Ayal Kadha Ezhuthukayanu [1998] & Gandhinagar 2nd Street [1986]) doesn't work either. Warrier is good, but not great. Innocent overacts to the core. Lena and Jacob Gregory were fine, but could you please go back to the first sentence of this paragraph?
Ennum Eppozhum may have the basic ingredients, but there is no story long in sight. And if it had a message to convey, it is lost in the useless intricacies of drama. There's an Anthikadan attempt at humor with Renji Panicker's help, which if, I believe, was attached to the plot line with a bigger arc could have salvaged the film. The music is cranky, dialogs are bland, production design and setup are average, writing is nonsensical and the title makes bland sense.
BOTTOM LINE: At best, it is a poorly made family drama that may appeal to older (45+) and younger (10-) folks. One should thank heavens it is not a love story, because sitting through 147 minutes of emptiness would already be a daunting effort. If you want to see some boxing and Bharatanatyam dancing from a journalist and a lawyer respectively, then you will relish the idea of Ennum Eppozhum. Otherwise, sit home and watch the developments of the Cricket World Cup 2015 final. 2/10 - Avoidable!
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
