The entire premise of Mollywood Times is built on this particular thought process “You want to instil real fear into someone? Show them the Truth.”
Abhinav Sundar Nayak’s second directorial venture delves into the adversities that he himself would have probably faced in his career and the boldness to show it the way he did is exactly one of the reasons I adore his style of movies. Mukundan Unni Associates, his first, portrays an absolute masterclass of cynicism and narcissism, something that movies rarely like to show. An open challenge to the tried and tested trope of heroes always being the “good guy” and having an ending that is socially acceptable, which actually worked wonders. Of course, the Malayalam Industry of late has had some of the most thought provoking and artistic movies one can find anywhere and has received the recognition it deserves. People like Abhinav are the ones driving this and I really hope there are more challengers like him.
Now, Mollywood Times is not as impactful as Mukundan Unni Associates, with a runtime of close to 3 hours, it requires an editing revisit for some places where the point had already been made. That being said, no one would have the courage or for lack of a better term, the balls, to showcase the realities of an Industry in a manner that would have shut this movie down even before the script reached a producer’s office barely 10 years ago.
The similarities are prominent with the particular voice over style and an overall outlook on life at large with the animation sequences, however these are characteristic of the style of Abhinav’s direction and I have no complaints.
Screenplay felt a little bit stretched for certain plot points but the technical side of things, particularly the cinematography and the way certain shots were taken, was top notch. At this point, I feel this has become the standard in this industry, it is quite the marvel.
Without getting too much into the details of the movie, the overall theme is about how even with the greatest ambition, talent and hardwork, there are things that are not within your control. That truth is perhaps the most fearful thing you can showcase to anyone in this world.
Coming to the performances, it is out and out a Naslen show, with decent supporting renditions from the rest of the cast. Naslen has started to branch out his repertoire and characters like Vineeth in this movie will only help his overall flair and talent. This is perhaps his most unique character yet.
The music was subtle, Jakes Bejoy has chosen purposefully to not make it loud and overpowering but at the same time playful in the context, however the song in the middle felt a little bit forced.
If you are someone who believes movies should provide you a distraction from real life, that it should portray hope and everything should work out by the end, then this movie is not for you. This is also not as revolutionary as its predecessor, but if you liked the narrative and flow of that movie, this will surely be an entertaining watch. I, for one, am someone who likes tropes being challenged and honestly, you feel more connected to a character when it portrays the realities of life and not a utopia of hope when it really isn’t there.
But for many, that utopia is the distraction one needs from the Truth of Life. Abhinav Sundar Nayak says no dice, this is the Truth – even if you run away from it. Whether he has achieved his goal is something for you to decide.
Rating – 3.5/5