Darwinte Parinamam

Vampire Owl :: Strange name for a movie, this one.

Vampire Bat :: Well, I have heard stranger names of flicks other than something that translates as The Evolution of Darwin.

Vampire Owl :: It is actually surprising that the humans haven’t stopped evolving yet. I don’t even remember the last time our kind evolved.

Vampire Bat :: We don’t evolve. We are dead; the undead can’t evolve!

Vampire Owl :: Oh! I was misguided by Imhotep once saying that death is only the beginning.

Vampire Bat :: I am cent percent sure that he surely never meant to talk about evolution in that case.

Vampire Owl :: When I look at the werewolves, I see what the evolution is really about.

Vampire Bat :: That is actually a case of transformation.

Vampire Owl :: A shameless one, if you ask me.

Vampire Bat :: Which is why you should skip wandering around the werewolf territory.

[Gets the tickets with cheese popcorn].

What is the movie about? :: Darwin a.k.a. Gorilla Darwin (Chemban Vinod Jose) is one of the most feared names in the city. He happens to be the one gangster king who makes things happen in the city, and has police as well as the the goons under his control. Except when concerning a young lady whom he is attracted to, Ancy (Hannah Reji Koshy), he knows how to be strong and merciless. One day, Anil Anto (Prithviraj Sukumaran) and his wife Amala Anil (Chandini Sreedharan) moves from Kottarakkara to the city after having some family problems. Both of them find jobs in the city and are expecting a child. But a series of incidents gets ready to happen, as the paths of Darwin and Anil will meet at a certain point, and it will change their lives soon. The process of evolution will follow for both these men as the struggle for being the better person shall begin. What does future bring for the two?

The defence of Darwinte Parinamam :: There is the fine feel-good effect and some interesting messages in this movie. They are the ones which you can take home without thinking a lot – as the same happens to be right there to be seen. The first half of the movie could make the audience interested in providing a good feeling and make them prepared for a fine flow. There are also some nice comedy sequences which are handled by different actors together – you have to look out for the story-telling and the kidnapping scenes more than the rest. The emotional moments also work, even though they are not used completely for the movie’s advantage. You will be able to connect a certain amount of unpredictability to the proceedings too. The songs are interesting even though not that memorable, and there are some nice emotional moments to go strong with the same. There is also a little big of magic realism in the movie.

Claws of flaw :: There seems to be a certain amount of confusion in experimentation with the path that Darwinte Parinamam follows. There is the hero who tries to get back to the villain, even though the assertion is made that the hero is the villain and vice versa – but that is really a pointless thing. With some slow-motion action sequences added in the second half, one is reminded of Prithviraj’s Puthiya Mukham too. There seems to be the easy way taken for the finish, and throughout the second half, there is rather too much of staying away from the strengths of the movie, as it often depends on sequences without logic. The movie should have stayed close to the path followed in the first half, and the evolution should have been the focus on a personal level rather than anything else. It should have been something which happened over a long time, and not just arriving in the end!

Performers of the soul :: Prithviraj Sukumaran and Chemban Vinod Jose, the hero and the villain go on to bring some big performances in this movie. The former’s nice run continues after Ennu Ninte Moideen, Amar Akbar Anthony, Anarkali and Paavada – even though this one won’t be for every kind of audience with its limitations in catering to the demands of our viewers as a whole. He will be there for James and Alice with Vedhika and also for Jeethu Joseph’s Uzham; so we can safely guess that the successful journey will continue. The latter has an awesome introduction, and here we once again realize how big an asset to the Malayalam movie industry this man has become – whether it was in smaller roles like in Charlie and North 24 Kaatham or lasting the full movie like in Lord Livingstone 7000 Kandi, Kohinoor, Iyobinte Pusthakam and Sapthamashree Thaskaraha, he has made that impact; in this case, he is just as big as the hero.

Further performers of the soul :: Chandini Sreedharan also brings something memorable in her second Malayalam movie, as she excels in those emotional moments, and does a fine job in the happy ones too; that smile is rather contagious too. I have felt that she is really suitable for this particular character here. Hannah Reji Koshy plays the gangster’s love interest, and she does a very neat job here – it is her first movie, and she manages really well in this smaller role. I would love to see a lot more of these two actresses in the Malayalam movie industry. You will also find Soubin Shahir bringing the fun as if there is no end to the entertainment which he provides – we just had him at his best in Maheshinte Prathikaram just some weeks ago; Balu Varghese could have had a longer stay in the movie though. Shammi Thilakan’s kidnap sequence will also bring a lot of laughter for sure. A few others like Mamukkoya and Jaffer Idukki have too small roles in this one.

How it finishes :: The movie doesn’t really go on the lines of what was expected with the trailer. As a lot of people had guessed, this is not really a full-entertainer, and depends too much on experimentation using the cliche elements. A lot of expectation will do this movie not much good, but it can still win this weekend considering the fact that it has the feel-good factor and the messages along with the star power of Prithviraj. It is up-to your likes and dislikes to come to a decision about how much you like this movie, but Darwinte Parinamam is surely that flick which could have been a lot better if it had treated its material in a more realistic manner throughout its run rather than becoming a seemingly confused movie on more than one occasions. It could have been a big comedy thriller too, but you won’t see that working here as the movie tries many things!

Release date: 18th March 2016
Running time: 149 minutes
Directed by: Jijo Antony
Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Chandini Sreedharan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Balu Varghese, Soubin Shahir, Nandhu, Shammi Thilakan, Mamukkoya, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Jaffer Idukki, Sajid Yahya, Hannah Reji Koshy