Varathan is a wholesome drama movie that keeps you engaged till the very end with some spectacular cinematography from Amal Neerad accentuated by the BGM by Sushin Shyam which holds all the frames together with seamless editing.
Varathan means an outsider and here Varathan is Abin (Fahadh Faasil) who is an IT employee in Dubai returning to his wife Priya’s (Aishwarya Lekshmi) childhood home at Vagamon, Kerala. The storyline has shades of the malayalam movie Kali and the plot slowly unveils building up tension and a creepy eeriness that has the overtones of a horror film.
The first half of the movie artfully paints a crude face of a patriarchal society’s dismal prejudices and bias towards women and moral policing where their only business is other people’s business. A scene where the local population corners a guy who has come in his posh car with his girlfriend to hang around is beat black and blue because they conclude by judging her looks that it’s a hookup and finally quietens down with some money. On a deeper level it shows how people direct their insecurities and find animalistic power and meaning by indulging in aggression and policing over another person’s morality.
Fahadh plays the role of a logical and a cool headed person who tries to be nice to the locals.The love and understanding between the couple is very tangible where they feel and communicate through Aishwarya’s kind eyes and her smiles. Fahadh does his class act once again where he speaks more with his silence and eyes while Aishwarya pulls out another hat-trick with her natural finesse.
Special mention should be given to Vijilesh Karayad as one of the three locals. He sinks into his role effortlessly and successfully makes the audience loathe his character in the movie. Entire production design is spot on with its overall look and the perfect backdrop of a planter’s house that adds to the creepiness and feel of the movie.
Though the first half might seem to drag while the events unfold slowly, it all comes down to the last twenty minutes of the climax which is absolutely thrilling. The fight sequence is a breath of fresh air that makes your patience worthwhile as it’s not your usual sequence of heroic stunts but something that is clever and cool at the same time. You do have generous dollops of slow motion and shades throughout; oomphing up the style factor that is characteristic of an Amal Neerad’s picture.
Despite a weak storyline, the compelling performance of the entire cast, beautiful cinematography, smooth editing, spot on soundtrack and with crackling stunts, Varathan is a gripping thriller that gives us the satisfaction of watching a worthwhile movie with a definite hangover.
Enjoy your popcorn!
