P S Rafeeque's universe is always full of out-of-this-world characters, trying to break ground in the real world. While 'Amen' was a huge success due to its fairly unfamiliar storyline and setting (and Pellissery's quirky craftsmanship), 'Utopiayile Rajavu' ended up laughably bad. Pellissery's filmmaking style complemented Rafeeque's writing superbly while veteran Kamal struggled to embrace the eccentricity attributed to his set of characters.
Director Ratheish Kumar makes his directorial debut with 'Thrissivaperoor Kliptham' - yet another addition to the horde of films that try to stand out with their regional slang (I think this one tries a little too much). 'Thrissivaperoor Kliptham' talks about the gang war between Davis (Chemban Vinod) and Chembadan Joy (Baburaj) - a rivalry that dates back to their school days. The opening sequence is a page straight out of Pellissery's book - a portion of pork roast doing the rounds in a Christian household while a "gift" arrives in a box (recall something similar in 'Amen'?). To add to that, the film is narrated by Pellissery himself (can it get anymore predictable?).
An introverted Girijavallabhan (Asif Ali) bears witness to some of Davis' badassery during a tussle at a marketplace, and becomes instantly captivated, eventually joining the team. Although there's no specific 'hero' on scene, Davis and his bunch of cronies propel the film forward, with a mix of mostly hit-and-miss jokes (a good chunk of it involves misogyny, sex and the human butt - so it all depends on how you as a viewer take to those). I don't mind a good joke regardless of whether it sounds offensive or not, but here the comedic jabs rarely hit the intended target. I wonder what made Asif Ali take up the role of Girijavallabhan (as it is just another supporting character with a few additional don't-make-no sense scenes with the heroine). The usually-fine Aparna Balamurali is required to maintain a frown throughout and even hams it up in a couple of scenes. Her narrative (showcasing the wretched side of the district) doesn't feel integral to the rest of the film.
I remember laughing for the betrothal scene in the beginning and another instance where a drunk Girijavallabhan is dropped at his house by Davis. Much of the supposed humor comes across as messy. P S Rafeeque is unsure what to do with his bunch of underwritten characters in the second half. Davis' gang of compadres (played by Rony David, Irshad, Nandhu) try their best to make the proceedings appear interestingly funny, but to no avail. Cameos from T G Ravi, Zarina Wahab and Rachana Narayanankutty fail to liven up the wishy-washy screenplay.
The best thing about the film are its vibrant poster designs. Unfortunately, the flamboyance doesn't spread to the writing or directing departments. Chemban is completely in his zone playing Davis while there's not much to comment about the rest of the ensemble. This one better be avoided unless you're up for a bore-fest.
Verdict: Confidently give it a miss!
