‘Manjummel Boys’ is the latest movie that has fooled Malayalam movie lovers. Chidambaram directed this survival thriller movie which hit theaters in Malayalam on February 22. Soubin Shaheer, Srinath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Ganapathy, Lal Jr., Chanthu Salimkumar, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Deepak Parambol, Khalid Rahman, Arun Kurien, Vishnu Raghu played the lead roles in the film. The film is based on the 2006 tragedy at Guna Caves in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. A real story of 11 youths belonging to a gang called Manjummel from Kochi. And if we go to the matter of how this movie is…
Story:
Manjummel, a group of friends, sees their rival team going on a vacation to Munnar and gets jealous and decides to go to Kodaikanal. In fact, they want to go to Goa. But due to budget problems, they finally leave for Kodaikanal. They all have a lot of fun on the trip called “Manjummel Friends Club”. In the same order, you will want to see the “Guna” caves where Kamal Haasan shot the popular song “Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan” (“Priyatama Neevachata Kushalama” Telugu version) from the movie “Guna”. They go there even though they know it is dangerous. Accidentally one of their friends falls into the pit in the caves. The police and rescue personnel who tried to save him eventually gave up. And finally the friend who fell into the pit survived? How did all his friends save him? What conditions did they face at that time? It is a story to watch on screen.
Analysis:
The story of Manjummel Boys… revolves around 11 youngsters from lower and middle class families who are friends since childhood. Some scenes in the first stop seem stretched. But those mischiefs make the audience think about the 11 boys who are roaming around, fighting and having the fun of their lives. What starts as a thug-of-war between two teams of friends eventually turns into a thug-of-war between life and death. Similarly the conversation about God with the trip driver is thought provoking. The scenes that follow are edge-of-the-seat thrilling.
The emotional struggle between the ‘Manjummel Boys’ to save their friend will leave the audience in tears. They don’t know the truth until one of their friends falls into that pit. The group then learns that the Guna Caves they know were originally called the Devil’s Kitchen. The scenes of the friends refusing to leave their friend in the cave even though the authorities and locals say that there is no record of any survivors are heart touching.
The ‘Manjummal Boys’ team’s pranks, their bond, the Thug of War competition, training for the same, recruitment for the tour, roaming around Kodaikanal, the director starts the film with comedy here and there and then takes it straight into the story, the screenplay becomes more interesting when the friend is in danger. The director created magic with his screenplay by shooting the accident scene naturally without much drama. The film’s story and narrative are nothing new. But the way the screenplay is directed by the director without boring the already seen scenes is new.
The director’s effort in making this movie with its heart-warming storyline with themes like friendship, determination and faith is commendable. In the second half, director Chidambaram revealed his special interest in Kamal Haasan with “Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan”. The use of the same song in one of the high moments of the second half, instead of the background score usually seen in such films, makes it stand out. The tension and emotion in the last 20 minutes of the climax gives a good thrilling feel.
But this is not a story that appeals to all sections of the audience. Also the stretching of scenes of careless police officers is irritating. It seems strange that even one of the group of friends has no idea when going on a tour. Also, not a single girl is seen in the film. The director managed to some extent without knowing that deficit. However the director has succeeded in making the familiar story interesting with his screenplay and making the audience connect.
In terms of actors.. Srinath Bhasi gave an excellent performance as Subhash. Especially in the second half, he lived his role so that the audience could feel his pain. Shoubin Shahir, George Marian and others acted well in the scope of their roles. Special mention should be made about the child actors Srinath and Shaubin.
Technically… Shaiju Khalid’s cinematography is a plus point for the movie. The film is visually stunning. Editing is good. Sushin Shyam impressed with the background music in the emotional and tension scenes. Ajayan Sallisery’s production design is good. They were able to manage without anyone suspecting that the Guna caves seen in the movie were set. The makeup and production values are good.
Plus points
Technical team
Screen play
Climax
Minus points
Stretching of some scenes
Rating : 2.5
Finally… this is a perfect movie for those who love cervical thriller movies.