Vala

Vampire Owl: I had heard about this movie and felt strange about it.

Vampire Bat: There is nothing strange about the story about a bangle.

Vampire Owl: So, a bangle is going to inspire a story?

Vampire Bat: One would think that inspiration can come from anywhere, like darkness.

Vampire Owl: What about the need for muses to create the same?

Vampire Bat: The muses as such avatars are no longer valid in this world of chaotic creativity.

Vampire Owl: Our realm is not of chaos, for vampires have order; otherwise, we would be nowhere.

Vampire Bat: Absence of chaos is not always order as we know it.

Vampire Owl: Death can always differentiate between order and chaos in the stream of absurd.

Vampire Bat: We have found order post death, but chaos is in our blood for infinity.

[Gets a paneer momos and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Banu (Lukman Avaran), a young policeman, is given the duty of giving protection to Abu (Abu Salim) who is the only witness to the murder of his boss. But while going through his duty, he comes across a few other problems that come in his way. It begins with his marriage with Vishalakshi (Sheethal Joseph) who comes from a big family and high caste, as she elopes with him against the wishes of her family, only to find out that the box which she took from home was not the one with jewelry. As she goes to the Akshaya Centre to change her address in the Aadhar Card, finds herself insulted by Sarala (Raveena Ravi) who was dealing with the data, as Vishalakshi had asked her about the beautiful bangle on her hand. Sarala tells her that she will never be able to buy such a bangle and should at least get something for her hands as she looks just too poor. Vishalakshi who is originally from a rich and influential family, starts asking Banu for a solution, and goes with him to almost every jewelry shop in search of a similar bangle.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Vishalakshi is too focused on having a bangle like Sarala, she is not able to find any other ornament of her choice and asks Banu to bring something that looks exactly like that particular piece. She begins to irritate Banu in the name of that bangle, and he is forced to contact Sarala’s husband Purushothaman (Dhyan Sreenivasan) for a picture of the same, so that they can make something which looks exactly the same. But they realize that the bangle cannot be removed from Sarala’s hand as she says it was given to her by her grandmother and that there is a certain sentimental value attached with it – but the truth is revealed later, that the bangle just cannot be removed by pulling it out. They understand that it is stuck, but while looking closer, realizes that there are Arabic writings in there, making them wonder how a traditional Hindu family like them can have a family heirloom passed on by grandmother with Arabic script engraved there.

And what more can happen with a bangle which turns out to be special? :: Purushothaman who finds out that this is a very old bangle with antique value, and has gems which are priceless, decides to find a way to sell the piece. For the same, he starts searching, and ends up with a notorious group of gangsters from across the state who deals with international smuggling and other crimes. They give him an advance of fifty lakhs for a price that he asks, five crores in ready cash. As he becomes confident in him being rich by crores, he decides not to give the photo to Banu and even throws their mobile away as they had taken a photo of the bangle. Sarala is tensed that her husband is trying to take that bangle in any way possible, and has nightmares of him cutting her hand off. They go to different parts of South India as they try to find a way to remove the bangle, and comes across a woman named Pathoocha (Shanthi Krishna) who claims that the ornament belongs to her and her husband Soopika (Vijayaraghavan). This leads to further complications while the gangsters also come after Sarala, and so does Banu who wishes to have revenge for the insult.

The defence of Vala: Story of a Bangle :: The movie is very well managed by Lukman Avaran who leads the movie in a realistic mode, and Vijayaraghavan nicely adds a certain emotional depth here with Shanthi Krishna in support. The two female leads Raveena Ravi and Sheethal Joseph handles the situation incredibly well, and it is always great to see the former on the screen rather than just behind it as a dubbing artist with excellence. The idea of the movie is nice and innovative, and the bangle at the centre serves well, making one feel that this movie is not the usual, but one of its kind, experimenting on things not usual in the Malayalam movie industry. The way in which the movie began with its tale in the middle of everything was also nice, and the way in which tale is told has its own effectiveness too. The emotional moments work very well, and the way in which different characters get interconnected feels interesting. The mystery feeling is also maintained well, and the twists in the tale are of relevance, while reminding us that pride will always have a fall.

The claws of flaw :: There is the feeling that there are too many characters who do not get the due in the movie. Dhyan Sreenivasan’s character does not get the strength that it should have had, for it remains one dimensional and just seemingly going through a path which becomes just mandatory for this kind of a movie and nothing else. Some scenes feel like stretched seemingly increasing the total length of the movie beyond the required. The pace also slows down in between, and the extra focus on bangle often leaves the people behind. If some elements are removed, it would just go on to become short film and nothing more. The villainy could have been better, and here the focus is just on owning the bangle. The history of the bangle could have also been further grand in nature, and the movie could have deepened its own mystery without letting the viewer feel that it just went on the safe route. The seriousness of the movie is sometimes lost as humour collaborates and goes through that safe path. The ending is also just too quick and seemingly just to finish the whole thing.

How it finishes :: Vala: Story of a Bangle surely had a lot of scope with this different and innovative kind of content, which is not common in Malayalam cinema, as only a few like Pendulum and Phoenix have deviated from the usual tropes of horror, adventure and science in a way that we remember, even without that much of a box-office collection. The innovative core related to a bangle is something that we might not see for quite some time. The movie surely had the potential to become an intriguing thriller with a lot of emotional depth. But the slow pacing and underdeveloped characters often pulls it down. The climax fails to provide a satisfying resolution and the movie just ends as if it is there to bring a finishing touch. This would mean that the movie ends up as a film with good ideas but partially struggling execution, leaving many viewers feeling that it could have been much better with better efforts put in there. Maybe, there could be a sequel that can successfully accomplish the same.

Release date: 19th September 2025
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Muhashin
Starring: Lukman Avaran, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Vijayaraghavan, Shanthi Krishna, Raveena Ravi Sheethal Joseph, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Shafi Kollam, Navas Vallikkunnu, Abu Salim, Yusuf Madappen, Govind Vasantha, Ibrahim Al Balushi, Gokulan