Set in the backdrop of astounding Kochi, Valiyaperunnal is nothing but a feast of love, action, revenge and relationships. It lays bare the living culture of Kochi's iconic locales—Fort Kochi and Mattancherry—which are known for their vibrant mix of cultures. The movie, with its tagline ‘A feast of sacrifice’, is centered around Ashkar Salauddin (Shane Nigam) who is lovingly known among his dear ones as Akkar. Hot-headed Akkar is a dancer and his telltale love for Pooja (Himika Bose) looms around the entire thread of the movie. The inner core of the movie throws light into the dark underworld business as well.
Be it action, drama, romance or vengeance—everything is sprinkled into the script in ample proportion. The movie unfolds with a gripping sequence which later shifts to an entirely different setting. Though this intrigues the audience initially, it slowly dampens due to the sluggishness of the movie’s first half. It lacks a connecting element. However, the latter part, spiced with action and humour, succeeds in engaging the audience. Also, dance as an incumbent element, is vividly featured in the movie. Choreographed by international dance group ‘Kings United’ from India, the movie can be tagged as the first-ever Malayalam film with quality hip-hop dance sequences.
Shane Nigam strays away from his usual appearance and is able to present the flamboyance and attitude of the Kochi boy Akkar. Himika has attempted a good headstart in Mollywood. Director Dimal Dennis fares well with his debut movie though his scripting along with Thasreeq Abdul Salam needs more work.
The movie features an ensemble cast which is unraveled at different points, bringing in a surprise factor for the audience. While Joju George and Sudheer Karamana played pivotal roles, the guest appearances of Soubin Shahir, Dharmajan Bolgatty and Vinayakan tickle the funny bone of the audience. Among its many unique features, the casting of more than 105 new faces stands supreme where each has played their part well. The movie also stands distinct as late actor Captain Raju’s last movie. The cast also includes Bollywood’s Atul Kulkarni and Raza Murad who play key characters.
Produced by Monisha Rajeev under Anwar Rasheed’s Magic Mountain Cinemas, the film has a fine technical crew including national award-winning editor Vivek Harshan and cameraman Suresh Rajan.
Movie: Valiyaperunnal
Director: Dimal Dennis
Cast: Shane Nigam, Himika Bose, Joju George, Sudheer Karamana, Alencier, Captain Raju, Soubin Shahir, Vinayakan
Rating: 3.5/5
