കൊച്ചാവ പൗലോ അയ്യപ്പാ കോയ്ലോ (Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho) (2016)

Director: Siddhartha Shiva
Writer: Siddhartha Shiva
Cinematographer: Neil D'Cunha
Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Master Rudraksh Sudeesh
Language: Malayalam

The film's very annoying title is inspired from Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho whose, too famous in my opinion, quote from Alchemist is used as a constant reference in the story. Its central character is a boy whose ambition in life is to fly in an airplane and the film follows various things that he does to fulfill it. Kunchacko Boban plays the role of do-good village man who helps the boy in achieving his goal.

The film marks the return of Udaya Pictures, the first film production company in Malayalam, after a gap of thirty years and Kunchacko Boban is now its third generation producer. I decided to go for the film after failing to get tickets for Priyadarshan-Mohanlal combo's 'Oppam'. Initial reviews that I heard of it were overwhelmingly positive and was quite surprised by how clichéd and boring it turned out to be. The film is set in contemporary times but the village characters in it looks so outdated and from the 90s. This is also true of the two kids in it who seems to be from the 80s. You get the clichéd village goodness and innocence that Malayalam film industry is so fond of  in terms of setting and characterisations. You can't help but think of the fact that it is quite affordable for most Malayalees to take a flight from Ernakulam to Trivandrum if someone is hell-bent on taking a flight trip. Film does address it but in a very unconvincing fashion. I was really considering to leave during the interval, would have been a first for me, but I decided against it coz of locked gates.

The second half doesn't get any better and proceeds like a really poor version of the latter half of the film 1983 without any of its nuances or attention to detail. The kid conveniently narrates the story too many times over the course of the film, a sign of laziness from the director's part. Films set in Kerala villages (are there any left?) is an excuse for stunning visuals and the film provides that, but it just serves to accentuate it's overall drabness. Maybe it is aimed strictly for school going kids who are having their vacation and they might get affected by it but my experience of it was quite excruciating.

Rating: 1/5