‘Valaathu Vasathe Kallan’ movie review: Jeethu Joseph’s film gets lost in a maze of its own making

Puzzles, crosswords, and word mazes are often associated with lazy Sunday mornings for a reason. This usually happens when a large number of people have enough mental space to enjoy solving a problem. These are definitely not for highly stressful situations like Jeetu Joseph Valathu Vasathe KallanWhere the hero, racing against time to save someone’s life, stops midway to solve a word maze.

Of course, saving the man depended on solving the maze, but the whole placement of a series of puzzles in the narrative to create excitement hardly feels organic. The downward spiral the film takes in its final hour is unfortunate, because at its core there was a compelling story of a guilt-ridden man finally facing his punishment. Screenwriter Dinu Thomas Elan may have chosen that fictional route to resolve the conflict due to general expectations from Jeethu Joseph’s film.

A scene from ‘Valaathu Vasathe Kallan’

There is no room for ambiguity Valathu Vasathe KallanAs far as character traits are concerned. At the beginning of the film, Circle Inspector Antony Xavier (Biju Menon), demonstrating evil, stops a sexual harassment victim from filing a complaint. While this is a strong start to the film, a later viewing reveals that there is no more nuance to this character than what is evident in that opening scene. When a young woman (Vaishnavi Raj) goes missing from the city, the police officer crosses paths with Samuel (Joju George), an ethical hacker.

Their confrontation creates the exciting prospect of an intriguing battle of wits between two battle-weary souls. But then, they choose to use a super imaginary puzzle game involving phone numbers, case numbers, and random coincidences. What starts off as a situation involving people’s lives almost turns into a competition between two individuals to show their IQ. In the end, an incredible effort is made to add a message to the film. But compared to Jeetu’s previous film mirageWhich immersed the audience in one twist after another, Valathu Vasathe Kallan Seems a little more reliable.

Part of the film works is due to the presence of two great actors like Biju Menon and Joju George who, even when not at their best, provide some gravitas to the proceedings. Although Jeethu’s films are not particularly known for their visual or technical aspects, the darker tone here suits the subject matter well as long as the screenplay doesn’t spoil the game.

For over a decade now, each of Jeetu Joseph’s releases has generated some degree of anticipation Drishyam Wave. But much of his recent work has only contributed to taking away the shine that his career gained from that landmark film.

Valathu Vasathe Kallan is currently running in theaters