- Date of Release: 16 May 2024
- Genre: Comedy
- Language: Malayalam
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil
Introduction
I would regard the period of the 2000s to be a golden period for comedies in Bollywood particularly with the brand of Priyadarshan kicking in. With films like Hera Pheri, Hungama, Chup Chupke or even Hulchul, the comedy was centered around the common man that eventually found its audience in a very big way, so much so that these films are still considered to be cult films. Priyadarshan films were my go to films to simply refresh my mind say before an exam or even after I was done studying. At that point of time, I wasn’t aware that most of those films were remakes of Malayalam films which were equally successful in capturing the imagination of the viewers. Slowly but surely as the industry evolved in its 2010s, this brand of comedy began to dwindle to a point that now sitting in 2024 there is a scarcity of comedy. So anytime a comedy films comes through, I really look forward to it. And I was particularly looking forward to Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil given that it was from Vipin Das, the mind behind the magnificent comedy Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey. And also given that he was coming with a film in a year dominated by the Malayalam Film Industry, made things even more interesting. So then does Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil follows the story of Vinu who finals decides to get married after a heartbreak of 5 years. In the process, he forms a heartfelt bond with his brother-in-law Anandan who spends time to motivating him throughout. This, while Anandan is oblivious of the fact that his wife was the ex of Vinu. The story here has all the ingredients of a typical Priyadarshan comedy that is filled with confusion, chaos and a lot of laughter, something that I did crave for in a while. The screenplay standing at 130 odd minutes does compliment the mood of the drama perfectly but creating situations that are hilarious while often letting the characters loose to simply react indifferently to them. And this roller coaster of a screenplay makes for a hilarious ride through and through.
The drama opens with the introduction of the protagonist Vinu who is working in the UAE while planning his India trip in order to get married. Very early on, it is established that Vinu nursing a heartbreak for 5 years shares a warm bond with his brother-in-law Anandan who has steadily helped him to overcome his breakup. This, even as Anandan who suffers from anger management issues has been staying aloof from his own wife. The confusion in the drama arises when the viewers get to know that Anandan’s wife and Vinu’s ex-flame is the same person Parvathy, thereby leading to a chain of sequences that are hilarious to the core.
One of the biggest USPs in the drama is the bromance between Vinu and Anandan, two very distinctly different characters with contrasting character traits. Hence, the confusion and chaos in the drama does threaten to break their own relationship, firstly when Vinu gets to know about Parvathy being the wife of Anandan. This triggers a chain of events which are hilarious to the core, given that Vinu and his buddies use every trick in the book to call off the marriage. These different set of incidents put together in a bit of a compilation and enjoyable and make for an entertaining watch. The area where the drama briefly falters in the first half is in the transformation of characters that seemed a little abrupt leading to a sudden interval block.
The flow of the drama is almost a mirror image across the two halves. So Vinu doesn’t wish to marry Anjali while Anandan, oblivious of the chain of events wishes the opposite. The second half turns the tables completely with Vinu wishing to marry Anjali much to the dismay of Anandan who gets to know the truth of Parvathy and Vinu. Even the characters who had initially disagreed in creating a hassle for the wedding in the first hour, change their stance in the second hour thereby resulting in Vinu having to deal with multiple obstacles along the way. Despite that, I did wish for the comedy meter to just go up a notch even as there was a certain rhythm to the screenplay in the second hour. In between, there are meta references of some great Malayalam films like Drishyam and Nandanam that accounts for hilarious sequences.
The extended final act with all characters staged under a single roof does make for a hilarious watch. Having said that, I would have ideally wished for a little more confusion and chaos along the way, something that Priyadarshan had attempted in say a film like Hungama. The sequence involving a drone carrying the chain felt a little stale after a point, and that entire sequence was a bit of a hit and a miss for me. Yet, that last shot post a predictable ending did give me goosebumps. So overall, the screenplay is pretty well penned and makes for a hilarious watch!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are witty and play well against the situations in the drama. And the lines do their bit in extracting the much needed laughter in the drama. The music is excellent and represents the different moods of the drama really well. The BGM does its bit to compliment the tone of the drama that ranges from being hilarious to dramatic. The cinematography captures frames that are playful and in sync with the hilarious vibe of the drama. The editing is decent although there were some rather abrupt cuts that stalled the impact of certain scenes. Director Vipin Das does a stellar job yet again here. Here is a director who understands the pulse of his viewers in terms of the comic elements that he chooses to integrate in the drama. His obivious inspiration is Priyadarshan and the brand of comedy that was catered to by him, and this attempt of his is nearly successful. There are genuine moments of laughter along the way and the director always maintains a sense of control to not let the drama go out of hand. Perhaps, this was his undoing in traces as the drama needed a little more eccentricity to reach a status of a cult. But taking nothing away from the direction which was brilliant.
Performances
The performances are excellent by the ensemble cast. Siju Sunny and Saaf lend commendable support and both of them manage to shine. Akhil Kavalayoor, Aswin Vijayan, Joemon Jyotish and Yogi Babu are hilarious and manage to tickle your funny bone wonderfully well. Anaswara Rajan as Anjali looks really pretty while exuding a pleasant personality onscreen. She is well restrained and does a good job here. Nikhila Vimal as Parvathy is good and she really scores well with her expressions but I couldn’t help but think that her character was woefully underwritten which didn’t quite allow her a chance to fully bloom. Basil Joseph as Vinu is quietly charming especially while flashing his disarming smile. She has a range of emotions to play with and he scores particularly with his impeccable comic timing. Prithviraj Sukumaran as Anandan is outstanding to the core with almost a dual nature with respect to his personality. He is sweet to Vinu but angry elsewhere, and this quirky trait needed a skilled actor like Prithviraj to score. And boy, he excels and how! His comic timing is pitch perfect too thereby making it another stellar outing by him after Aadujeevitham.
Conclusion
Boasting of hilarious performances, Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil is a fitting ode to the mad-cap comedies of Priyadarshan that makes for an enjoyable and entertaining watch. Available in a theatre near you.
