Travel, adventure, standing up and fighting injustices heroically, being one with people from poorer or less fortunate sections of society, being able to express the goodness in oneself boldly and completely, not being confined to small predictable lives - these are all longings that will resonate with a lot of people. Charlie fulfills all these beautifully, providing the viewer some emotional satisfaction.
Cinema as a business is built around it's ability to be an escape from the boring routines and predictabilities of life. Charlie fits the business model nicely.
Dulqar is the star of the movie. The movie rests squarely on his shoulders. If he had not delivered, the movie had absolutely no chance. I think this is his best performance so far. He has effectively challenged himself by rising above just being a behavior actor. He is a star. His likability sold. His work on his physique shows. His dialogue delivery is endearing. Charming fellow.
Parvathy is an awesome actress. She has a very crucial role as well. She has much more screen time than Dulqar though the movie revolves fully around DQ. She is beautiful and has kept her presence sweet throughout the movie.
The situations in the movie were not predictable though not all of them were totally new. The story line has been drawn very carefully, wary of the viewer and holding some tricks up the sleeve all the way. Spotted with interesting incidents, the movie is a feel gooder.
The movie has good art work. I will not be surprised if the movie wins awards for it's art work in addition to many others. The sets are interesting. Lot of nice objects have been used to tell the story of the movie.
The songs are impressive and is at par with the movie. Coming at pretty regular intervals, the movie is kept pleasant and musical all through.
Cinematography is excellent. The movie has been written to use lot of beautiful/ varied / striking sights and the camera has captured them nicely - be it the saturated colors of fort kochi, the striking costumes, pooram.
However, the fact of the matter is that the movie is quite sublime and just whiffs off pretty quickly. It was not meant to be deep or leave a lasting impact. It is just a nice roller coaster ride into Charlie's life. I would see it again.
