A scene from ‘Once Upon a Time in Kochi’
Some films inadvertently insert scenes or dialogues that can mislead us about our expectations from the film. At the beginning of Nadirshah once upon a time in kochiWe hear the voice of Jaffer Idukki who is giving a typical cinematic narration of the dark side of the city, but is interrupted by the policeman asking him a question – “Are you a writer to give such detailed descriptions? Just focus on the events of that night”.
This scene seems to have been written by someone who is quite aware of the material he has in his hands. But then, in the remaining two hours, you get to see a screenwriter who treats a ridiculous drama about a drug cartel with all seriousness. That one scene that misleads the audience is one of the few tolerable scenes among the unbearable ones.
Young police officer Anand Das (Arjun Ashokan) goes missing while investigating a dangerous drug racket, following which the police begin to search for him. The night’s many interconnected events also involve Hibi (Mubin M. Rafi, son of screenwriter Rafi) and Janaki (Devika Sanjay), who both dream of living a better life abroad but find themselves embroiled in some shady deals.
Once Upon a Time in Kochi (Malayalam)
Director: nadirshah
Mould: Arjun Ashokan, Devika Sanjay, Mubin M. Rafi, Shine Tom Chacko
Plot: A police officer who was looking into a drug cartel goes missing, leading to a citywide manhunt
Runtime: 141 minutes
Nadirshah, who has made many entertaining films with problematic messages, tries a slightly different route here. The story is serious right from the start, though there are a few failed attempts to inject some humour into the plot. But, at no point in the film does the screenplay written by Rafi manage to hold the audience’s interest. Nor does one manage to form an emotional connection with any of the flatly written characters.
The love story at the centre of it seems half-heartedly written; the only interesting part is the police officer’s story. ‘Pennu Kanal’ The scene where his investigator’s instincts kick in, he mistakes talcum powder for cocaine. His frustrations at being sidelined by his senior officer who hogs all the media limelight for his hard work and his personal reasons of anger against the drug mafia all promised to develop something better, but it all goes to waste in the end.
The rotten cherry on top of the tasteless cake is a reference to of Romanchem The background music and Arjun Ashokan’s expressions are from that film. When all else fails, bring in the reference; but, here even a reference to a popular hit fails because of the completely pointless manner in which it is used. This is no surprise given how incomplete the film is. once upon a time in kochi This is a forgettable attempt at making a ‘comedy thriller’, as none of its attempts to create humour or thrills succeed.
Once Upon a Time in Kochi is currently running in cinemas
