Actor Anoop Menon in his first outing into movie scriptwriting seems to be in an attempt to defy stereotypes, making a desolate trip through the lanes, most less traveled. In the meantime of a troubled son’s pilgrimage into the nostalgic conglomeration of the genius life of his dead father, he also discusses all the current highbrow topics like mysticism, death and after death experiences and sexual freedom. But where ‘Pakal Nakshatrangal’ really suffers is in the direction departments, which hardly go a single step over the verbose offering in scripts.
In this non glossy, feel good non escapist movie ,the plot is more or less stationed at ‘Daffodils’, the quiet hamlet which the genius director Siddharthan (Mohanlal) maintains to write his screenplays, entertain his friends and as a free world for his escapist living and sleeping outside. The movie opens with the note about this building which will face demolition in a couple of days. The news clippings also tell about the death of Siddharthan, ten years back that occurred slipping down from the terrace of the same building.
Siddhu’s only son Adi, a noted writer who has a peculiar way of reasoning for his every demeanor’s, embarks on a mission on writing about his father, a work of fiction more a biography about the mysteries behind his death and his relationships, feminine in particular. He meets his father’s friends, foes and even the police officer who investigated the case, while searching for reasons of his father’s demise. He even go on to meet I S R O scientist Vaidhyanathan,a necromancer in the chances for any clues. And all his journeys into his father’s inconsistent lives is translated into a novel by Adi, who narrates them in the order of events to his wife to get appraisals as a reader and critic.
The movie definitely has some interesting moments offered by the support of ensemble star casts of Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi. The suggestions and remarks about malayalee hypocrisy’s, positively framed stories of perversions, and pseudo intellectualism, are indeed interesting. But the ordinary viewer may find it difficult to identify with the proceedings. They are prone to find them increasingly pretentious and less demanding. But the series of staccato, punctuated episodes and pretentious atmospheres at times, makes one wish that there were ample dramatic moments in the narratives. The director couldn’t make much of the sequences work, primarily due to the flat proceedings to the scripts sans any emotional drama and due to his old fashioned approaches into film making.
Mohanlal as usual, effortlessly steps into the shoes of Siddharthan and makes a free walk through the creamy part of the narrative and it is the sequences with him that works much in the film’s favor. Suresh Gopi is over the board and appears funnier than what seems to have been expected of the character. Anoop as Adi looks restrained at times, while Lekshmi Gopalaswamy has not much to do than to appear pretty.
The only song in the film ”pakaruka nee” is hummable but is totally unwanted in the narratives. The visuals of the song use the worst of the visuals effects, quite below the bench mark of an album song. But the background scores are appropriate and demanding.The technical side offers little to mention though cinematographer Ramachandrababu didn’t totally disappoint.
‘Pakal Nakshatrangal’ is a bearable stuff, but not as a film that will make you amused, glazed or entertained. Apart from the scripts, there is not much attempt to make it look exceptionally different, or look extremely good. At the end of it all, there’s also not much surprises than the few that you have already guessed, right.
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