‘Nesippaya’ movie review: Fanciful writing tarnishes Vishnu Vardhan’s promising premise

Vishnu Vardhan’s track record may not be the most consistent, but at least it can be said that he is an interesting filmmaker. Even the odd movie that misses its target has something unique to it that tickles your mind. And so when nesippaya It starts with a shot of a middle-aged man (the film’s hero Akash Murali) crashing his car into a school bus, and then pointing a gun at the school driver, you become intrigued; Yuvan Shankar Raja’s title card score sets the tone for what follows. But then, when this shot is repeated later in the film, you may not lean so positively towards it, not even question Vishnu’s decision to start the story with it.

there’s a lot to toss up nesippaya But at the core of Vishnu’s story is the potential, based on narrative treatment, to appeal. From a distance, it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before. Arjun (Akash) learns that his ex-girlfriend, Diya (Aditi Shankar), is imprisoned in Portugal, wrongly accused of murdering her lover Karthik Adinarayanan (George Cora), a business tycoon Adinarayanan (Sarath ) is the son of. Kumar; Khushboo Sundar plays his grieving wife Vasundhara in a commendable cameo). As expected, Arjun heads to Portugal, where lawyer Indirani Johan (Kalki Koechlin; the best performer in the film) is fighting a losing legal battle.

From here, nesippaya Alternates between two narrative tracks: one that explores what happened between Arjun and Diya that led to their unfortunate break-up, and the thriller that awaits Arjun as he investigates Karthik’s murder case. Vishnu’s popular romance thriller Smriti Sarvam is reflected, but the story and setting bear slight resemblance to 2008 Dham Dhoom (Coincidentally, Ravi Mohan’s film is also being released simultaneously.) nesippayaAs is the case with most romance thrillers, for the larger narrative to work, it needs to maintain the emotions that drive the protagonist, the backbone of which is Arjun and Diya’s romance arc.

We follow two completely opposite people; Diya, a savvy college-going woman who immediately shuts down the annoying antics of Arjun, a man-child who thinks sending stickers on WhatsApp is a good way to initiate a conversation with his crush. Here is a woman who doesn’t impose everything on herself but when she feels something is not right she raises her voice. On the other hand, he is still in the emotional age where he believes in pushy tactics to get her attention. She’s not the most sociable person, but has the awareness to speak openly about her commitment phobia. Meanwhile, rationalizing his domineering attitude as an expression of love, this clingy guy sees no problem in calling her constantly during office hours, which makes her wonder if she is insecure about him. His excessive love-bombardment also prompts Diya to wonder whether all this love-love will remain the same.

As much as Diya’s professional life is shown, Arjun seems troubled by his relationship with her. Even as he gives up his life in Chennai and follows her to Bengaluru, he appears to be anything but a sorted, self-reliant man. It is his relationship with Diya that gives any meaning to his life, not otherwise.

Aditi Shankar and Akash Murali in a scene from ‘Nesippaya’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Watching this relationship progress, a serious movie viewer – knowing that Dia currently had a boyfriend after Arjun, and our sweet guy is not over her – would assume that it was toxic love that caused the rift. Arjun has started on the path of transformation. But when it doesn’t, you wonder if you’re giving the film an unfair benefit of the doubt. In nesippayaEvery hot narrative flick finds a North Pole, and with every confident step it takes toward something novel, it leaps back into dreary terrain.

We are told that it was Diya who misunderstood Arjun’s ‘love’. Why does this relationship continue even after a major decision is taken for both of them without her consent? And so you wonder if Dia is not the emotionally intelligent female character you had imagined from the beginning. Then you start searching for authenticity in these characters. In one instance, Diya asks for her due personal space, a dialogue that would have gone to credit if not for the clarification: Personal space does not just mean allowing personal equations with friends and family, nor does it? Strangely, from Aditi’s delivery it seems that Dia is hesitant in asking for space for herself. Perhaps in any other film, a partner would not hesitate to talk about his or her basic needs.

Where to tell this romance story nesippaya Could have become something more than normal; It just leaves you confused about what kind of movie it wants to be. Simply put, the adventure that follows is trite, predictable and contrived. Most of it is stuck on a pattern: Arjun does something illogical, disobeys Diya’s legal counsel Indrani, but somehow moves an inch closer to solving the case (if nothing else is for the hero’s benefit. ). The case we are following is nothing interesting. The moment Dia reveals what really happened, you know where this is going – the explanatory scene is another problem; Why is Diya telling this to Indrani? NowYou will be surprised how Indrani took up the case without preliminary conversation with her client.

When the last knot is untied, you lose all the love left too NesipayyaA prevalent social concern is used as an ‘innovative’ precept to replace the usual. You want the writers to understand that without a moment, or at least a bit of dialogue, that conveys the plight of those victims, it becomes just a gimmick. More recently, a similar revelation was made in a Malayalam thriller; While that film also could have cut a little deeper than it tried, it’s sad to see a director like Vishnu taking a superficial approach to a sensitive subject.

nesippaya It may not have been the dream debut he wanted, but Akash Murali promises great things. He looks the part and gives his all, be it a stunt-heavy chase scene or a tender, quiet moment with his lover. Of course, he could have been a little softer, like avoiding that annoying ‘I love ugh’ (ie a half-eaten ‘I love you’) or the gesture he makes at a crucial moment, symbolically holding the lamp and Take her into his heart. Whereas Aditi looks more confident nesippaya But fails to come into its own in scenes that require high dramatic pitch.

But then again, seeing these young actors give so much, you wish there was more in the text to support their efforts. With none of the demands of stardom overpowering him, Vishnu couldn’t have found a better opportunity to push his limits. His visuals look crisp and stylish, and many of the action sequences like those set in the horse stables hold your attention, but without the right emotions the impact fades. Even Yuvan’s brilliant background music – ‘Sol Ni Sol’ and ‘Tholanja Manasu’ are the favorites in the soundtrack – ends up being a solo violin for flat writing.

Nesippaya is currently running in theaters