Writer: Shambhu Purushuthaman
Cast: Murali Gopy, Indrajith, Saiju Kurup, Anumol
Language:Malayalm
Three friends decide to hire a prostitute on the day of the Aatukaal Pongala (a Hindu festival in Trivandrum) when their wives are busy with the same festival
Film was produced by Arun Kumar Aravind and like in his other films Trivandrum is a major character in the story. The director Shambhu Purushothaman who is making his debut, a graduate from Satyajit Ray film and television institute, wrote the story also. Cinematography is handled by Shehnad Jalal and he should be getting a special mention because the visuals are really good. The film attracted controversy because of its unabashedly frank treatment of the subject and the juxtaposition of a religious festival with adultery would have alerted the overly sensitive moral policing assholes. It was initially denied censor certificate but finally managed to get released with an A certificate.
So finally about the film. It is a black comedy and despite being billed just as a sex comedy, it is one with brains. It is a frank treatment of subjects like arranged marriages which mostly forces people with not much in common into relationship slavery, societal hypocrisy, moral policing in the modern Kerala society and the overall creepiness of the society as a whole where sexual repression manifests into things like misogyny. The acting is good throughout by all concerned which is like a big achievement for modern Malayalam cinema with the general scarcity of talent. The humor is not consistently good with it sometimes bordering into slapstick territory but still there are plenty of genuine laughs. It is a shame that the film didn't do well at the box office since it puts all the supposedly 'New Generation' films to shame with its no holds barred approach. Still the ending of the film again is kind of a moralizing one without being too preachy and in your face.
Rating: 4/5
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