Banner: Pilakkandi Filims
Cast: Hemanth, Sreelekha, Anoop Menon
Direction: Fazil
Production: Mohammed Basheer
Music: M. Jayachandran
Have you ever thought of how much negative impact, a mega hit movie can create on its makers? Or haven’t you ever felt about actress Shobhana to be redoing her emoting of Ganga of ‘Manichithrathazhu’ in many films that came after this big hit? So is the case with its director Fazil, who is helplessly being prey of repeating his hit film act about mysteries of mind, in every film after this new age classic. He had been trying the same plot in all his recent movies like ‘Vismayathumbathu, and Mos and Cat, and the latest ‘Living together’ is also an attempt to rehash all the interesting sequences of ‘Manichithrataazhu’ ending up in an amateur, dismal film, that stoops down to the bottom list of his flicks.
This highly forgettable film from the legendary director is narrated as being told by its protagonist Hemachandran (Hemanth Menon), who has just returned from Germany, to his kids (apparently too small to have found interest in hearing such a story).The flashback has him in his start of his adulthood, working as a mechanical engineer, musing in making interesting discoveries.He falls in love with the neighbourhood girl Shyama (Sree Rekha), who had always made it a hobby to make youngsters around to fall in love with her. And within days she will throw them out of her life to make their life dismal. Surprisingly these tactics are all with the support of her family members including her grandfather (Nedumudi Venu) and others played by Innocent, Bindu Panikkar, Anoop Chandran and Lakshmi Priya and also a host of children from her neighbourhood.
But this time with Hemachandran, the story is a bit different. Shyama also feels for him and his qualities and when Heman’s mother (Menaka) approaches Shyama’s family for a relationship, the big secrets about her astrological problems and mysteries of mind are unveiled. Adding to this is a drug addict and manic Sathyamoorthy who had taken a bail from Bangalore jail, with the intention to rape and kill Shyama, for she had made him suffer behind bars for another rape attempt of her friend. Adding to this is a horror story planted in a haunted house where a spirit is running loose to attain salvation.
The title of ‘Living Together’ itself could have propelled an interesting plot lines for many, but Fazil decided to put in a show of absurdities and it is a wonder why he or his crew couldn’t identify what a poor plot line are they filming. The usual Fazil dialogues are all there and adequate time has been spend to select plenty of colourful costumes that may start a fashion trend in the coming days. But except for the couple of songs by M Jayachandran, every other department in the movie works below the level of a quality Molly wood serial. The camera side by Anandhakuttan is the weakest link with every ungraded visuals of exteriors shot in S1-d2 camera, looking pale and lacking life. The direction and narrative style by Fazil is equally childish, outdated and imperfect in almost all sequences, and we wonder how can anyone wish this to be a food for thought for the current generation who are the regular viewers of good films made in Tamil, Hindi and English. We wish, Fazil could have passed the script lines to other talented young directors who could have implemented it with conviction. As of now, this delicate love story definitely lack the needed feeling, compassion and understanding. Though the songs are good to hear, they pop up as unwanted guests at regular intervals. If you still like to be with the film, just watch that action and gunshot sequences to see how an inexperienced debutante can shoot it better and logically than those seen on screen.
In this screenplay of convenience, there is not much the lead actors can really do. The lead players Hemanth Menon, a Madhavan look alike is ok in parts. Sreelekha has oozing confidence and looks like an experienced player and even her outfits are interesting. But the two friends of them played by Sreejith and Jinoop are inadequate in their roles, making it harder to bear their antics in most of the scenes. Experienced campaigners like Nedumudi Venu, Innocent and Anoop Chandran too comes up with their worst performances trapped in melodramatic sequences.
On the whole, ‘Living Together’ just don’t have a thing, except good songs and graceful costumes, that may impress anyone.