With or without consent, machines have become an integral part of our lives. And where many people try to convince themselves that they are better off on their own, the challenge of living off the grid keeps growing by the day. This movie explores the delicate relationship between man and machine.
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Septuagenarian Bhaskara Pothuval always wants his son Subrahmanian by his side. For that matter, the son is not even allowed to pursue employment outside their town. Many a good job offers have been let go, but when an opportunity presents itself for Subramanian to work in Russia, he grabs it with both hands leaving his father in the able hands of his friend Prasannan and a home nurse. As the home nurse is not able to meet the stringent demands put forth by the old man, a robot is brought in as a substitute. After a few days of distrust, Bhaskara Pothuval starts to warm up to the robot. The relationship blossoms to the extent that Pothuval starts treating the robot as if it were his own son. It is this delicate relationship of a robot which comes between a father and son that is essayed in the rest of the narration.
Suraj Venjaramoodu takes on a role and posture never seen from him before. He has played it so well that you could hardly imagine anyone else doing it more justice. Soubin Shahir plays the son, and though is the third most important character in the narrative, he is a delight to watch. The Malayalam speaking Japanese girl Hitomi played by Kendy Zirdo was a good novelty to start with, though she goes on to play a role throughout. Kudos to the casting department for finding the right person from as far as Arunachal Pradesh to play the part. The music by Bijibal is very much in line with the small-town pace and allure
Though there are great acting performances, the movie without doubt belongs to the writer/director Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval. The humour is intelligent, vivid and enriching, and for a moment I remembered the wasted opportunity called “Enthiran” (Tamil movie) which proudly succumbed to childish jokes and innuendos. Even with subtitles, a non-malayali may not get the extent of the humor and I felt sad and equally blessed for the fact. The side characters and their conversations have been a thing in the Malayalam film industry used beautifully by the likes of Shyam Pushkaran and Alphonse Puthran. Newcomer Ratheesh has taken his strides with this script.
The science fictional element here would have normally led to the screenplay straying into the deeper science involved and how the horde would go paranoid, trying to get their head around something as remarkable. But the writer has a story to tell and is in no need of such peripherals to act as fillers. Using state-of-the-art robotics as the nucleus of a movie can be quite daunting as flaws in the production design could easily distract the viewer from the proceedings. The technology used and production should be appreciated for the standards achieved.
The film points at the direction in which humanity is sprinting at breakneck speed and the whispers from a small town in Kozhikode may just be a reflection of the days to come all over the world.
