 "Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil movie review: This comedy of errors needed more effective gags")
Director: Vipin Das
Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Basil Joseph, Nikhila Vimal, Anaswara Rajan and Yogi Babu
Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil, the latest Prithviraj Sukumaran outing is a comedy that centers on tickling your funny bones by paying hyper attention to moments of folly. Vinu (Basil Joseph), a young man settled in the Middle East, is looking forward to a wedding soon in India. What is bizarre though, is that this young man is more attached to his soon-to-be brother-in-law Aanand (Prithviraj) than his bride-to-be Anjaly (Anaswara Rajan). They spend hours talking, share life updates and discuss things that are otherwise tough to handle by self. For Vinu, it is a failed relationship in the past. He seems unable to move on from this past flame, and Aanand helps him forget in his own way. It is also he who convinced Vinu to tie the knot with Anjaly.
On the other hand, Aanand’s marital life seems to be in chaos as well. Some misunderstanding in the past has led to a separation between him and his wife Parvathy (Nikhila Vimal). He works in Jamshedpur, away from his baby and his wife, and he shares his worries with Vinu as well. Vinu decides to help Aanand reconcile with his wife, just as he helped overcome his failed relationship and this is where chaos ensues. To be honest, the initial set up of the plot is brilliant. The moment audiences see that Vinu’s ex-flame and Aanand’s wife are the same person, it becomes clear that the film will thrive on portraying the consequent chaos. Considering Aanand is a temperamental man, Vinu is definitely in for some bashing — physically and verbally. It could also be that Anand approached Vinu intentionally.
I believe, it would have been better for the film to go out all crazy, and make Aanand a trippy bizarre character. It would have given a much-needed comedic depth to Aanand’s character if his intentions weren’t innocent. Currently, what pulls the film down is the ineffective gags around the crux of the story. The former could have brought the necessary punch to the film and added drama to the whole mood. However, right after this brilliant beginning, the film falls flat. It is insipid as the film stretches on to let the audiences in on the secret between Vinu and Parvathy’s relationship while keeping the mail characters in the blind. The more the minutes stretch, the less intriguing the set up becomes. It is also why the moment of reveal, where Vinu and Parvathy come face to face is less farcical than needed to make it hilarious.
As the film trudges on past the interval and moves its way slowly towards the climax, one of the plot devices works out really well in favour of the film. The obstacles that Vinu has initially hopes to raise to stop his own wedding becomes a noose around his neck after he realizes his love for his bride-to-be. So not only does he have to oppose his once-loving brother-in-law, but he also has to face the obstacles that he had plotted and come out victorious to bring home his bride. This back and forth is truly what makes the film palatable towards the end, and entertainingly so. The climax portion of the film is hilarious, and from Aanand’s perspective, the building frustration over his sister’s impending marriage makes it all the more entertaining. Yogi Babu as Saravanan in his Malayalam debut has done a hilarious job, and one of the comedic highlights of the film is his plan for Vinu’s wedding.
The problem is that the film has just a moment or two of brilliance while the rest of it squanders because of mediocrity. Basil Joseph and Prithviraj , however, are great in their parts. Another addition that would have really done this film good is underlining the bromance between Vinu and Aanand. Sure, their relationship before the truth was revealed was pretty tight, but this bond definitely needed its own comedic twist for Vinu’s emotional call of “Anandettan” to hit a home run in the finale. So overall, the film is unfortunately a miss for me.
Rating: 2 (out of 5 stars)
Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil is playing in cinemas
Priyanka Sundar is a film journalist who covers films and series of different languages with a special focus on identity and gender politics.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
