Based on Soorya Krishnamoorthy’s well known drama of the same title, debutant director Madhav Ramdas’ Melvilasom is a welcome experiment in Malayalam. The whole film has been set inside a room where the court martial of a soldier is happening. It’s a well executed and a gripping tale that manages to maintain the suspense till the end.
Sawar Ramachandran (Parthiban) is undergoing a court martial, after he had shot at two of his superior officers, killing one of them. Captain Vikas Roy (Suresh Gopi), who defends him, brilliantly unveils the untold stories that led to the mishap. Captain Roy doesn’t try to save the soldier as he had confessed to his crime himself. But Roy’s efforts are to bring out the shocking incidents that provoked Ramachandran to do the crime.
Krishnamoorthy and Ramdas handle the complex tale of the Army set up which is by and large unknown to the outside world, in a highly impressive way. Though the pace goes down at certain points and the climax happen a bit too fast, Melvilasom has honesty written all over it.
The film has its moments and it is a welcome change that a Malayalam film has been made with no heroines, exotic locales or song n dances. Though such movies have happened in other languages (like for instance, Richard Linklater’s brilliant 2001 film Tape), Malayalam cinema has generally preferred to stay away from such shots, especially during recent times. Anand Balakrishnan’s camera is top notch.
Suresh Gopi is absolutely brilliant as Captain Vikas Roy and he scores with his amazing dialogue delivery. Parthiban gives subtle acting an altogether different meaning, even though his dialogues are limited to only a few minutes. His lines towards the end can leave you with a lump in the throat. Thalaivasal Vijay as Colonel Surat Singh, Krishnakumar as Captain B D Kapoor, Nizhalgal Ravi as Major Ajay Puri and Asokan as Captain Dr. Gupta performs their roles quite fantastically.
Of course, the situations and dialogues get a bit too dramatic at times. But Melvilasom is definitely an effort to move away from the conventional lines that leads Malayalam cinema. It’s a rarity here and when it happens, the sincerity should be appreciated. Watch this one!
Movie:Melvilasom
Director:Madhav Ramdas
Cast:Suresh Gopi, Parthiban, Thalaivasal Vijay, Nizhalgal Ravi