This is Littil Swayamp’s film as much as Soubin Sahir’s. The former as the cinematographer, is the breathing lifeline of this meandering film. It meanders both visually and narratively. There are two segments in the film that don’t really make a difference to each other, when it actually feels like the story is aiming for that. There is no arc to the little boys storyline, while the one-note purity in Dulquer’s characterisation pulls away from the grounded, rooted authenticity of the film. All that said and done, this still remains an entertaining film just for how it’s executed. It plays out like one long music video, especially for how creative and over-the-top the camera gets with the most mundane of things. Rex Vijayan’s magical background score is a different treat altogether. Notice how the beautiful interludes of “Ormakal” help in hyping up a rather flat flashback. The film does rely on its technical splendour to stay alive. Well it does more than just keep the film alive. The music and cinematography help it soar high with regards making the film engaging, at least for what it would have been on paper.

Also, Soubin Sahir recreates Mattancherry with all his heart. He, along with Littil, takes us through the by lanes and the way of life in this small town. He’s brought everything he can – the food, the sports, the camaradarie between generations, the religious backwardness – but he falters in containing it all within a story. The disconnect in the storyline appears far too faulty to excuse. Yet I am just not able to deny the fact that I enjoyed watching this majorly disappointing film, for the way it romanticizes life in that region with such élan.