Aswathy Manoharan – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: Here is a movie title which translates to being brave.

Vampire Bat: Well, vampires are born brave.

Vampire Owl: You mean that we are reborn as the brave ones.

Vampire Bat: I have not yet seen a vampire who is not brave.

Vampire Owl: I have doubt about the Vampire Mouse.

Vampire Bat: All mouses that bite would not be a Vampire Mouse.

Vampire Owl: Still, he had given an application.

Vampire Bat: And it was rejected in just half an hour.

Vampire Owl: We would need more brave vampires in case there is a war.

Vampire Bat: The pact with werewolves stand strong, and the rest, whether witches or demons do not fight direct wars.

[Gets a paneer puffs and three cups of Bandarawela tea].

What is the movie about? :: Eldhose (Rajesh Madhavan) is someone who had received a bravery medal from the President of India when he was a child, for saving the village’s only welder, Aruvi (Manoj K Jayan) who was drowning in the middle of a river. But after developing a pre-marital relationship with Suramya (Aswathy Manoharan) whose wedding he is blamed to have ruined, both of them are caught during their private moments in the bus which he was driving, right in the middle of the night, while most of the village were busy with the local temple festival. As he tries to escape, it had also led to the Panchayat President Abbas (Jagadish) getting injured. Finding himself in trouble, and with people about to forcibly getting him and Suramya married against her will, he runs away from the village and reaching Erode in Tamil Nadu. There, he becomes the assistant of Abubacker (Vineeth), a Malayali gangster who only trusts him and his long-time henchman Suhail (Arun Cherukavil), as he had made too many enemies, and used a perfume store as front to hide.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Abubacker who keeps being worried about his former friends turning rivals, cannot sleep at night, and sleeps with a gun on his chest. He decides to find some relief by killing Saravanan (Srikrishna Dayal), one of his former henchmen, and assigns Eldhose to do the work, while pretending to be someone looking for work in the fruit factory which served as a front in a land where even the police were frightened to enter. But things do not seem to go well, as there is the news about Eldhose being killed in a fire-related accident in the fruit factory. This leads to a group of people deciding to go to Tamil Nadu to receive his body. Abbas who feels that he would go for the purpose any way, is joined by Aruvi, along with his two uncles Kunjan (Ashokan) and Joppan (Sudheesh) and brother-in-law Dixon (Abhiram Radhakrishnan). Spinesh (Shabareesh Varma), his old friend turned nemesis, also decides to drive the ambulance, leaving their past problems behind. But the question remains about what awaits them after crossing the border.

The defence of Dheeran :: The movie maintains its dark humour and silliness really well, and the situations for humour have been nicely created and maintained. Then there is some classic humour that comes of out of nowhere to create the fun all of a sudden. Then there are the simple and realistic moments that work, as the characters feel close to life as in those feel-good movies. The fine visuals of the villages of Kerala and Tamil Nadu also serve the purpose, as the movie has arranged a suitable cast for the purpose. The background score and music do serve the purpose well. Their use of the devotional song “akkarekk yathra cheyyum” which comes from the speaker nicely fits the situation. The execution of the final moments with a lot of action serves very well in a mixture of action and humour, with the special new year firework effects. The satire is as much present as everything else, and when there is such a veteran cast that can do the job so well, one can be assured of at least a minimum quality.

The claws of flaw :: There is a certain amount of struggle that the movie shows in between, as the narrative keep going back and come right back to the front – the non-linear journey was not really the option for a movie of this genre. The progress of the movie is rather slow, and the silliness often keeps us not interested rather than bring the humour to the front. We also have some dragging of the situation in the middle, and the flashback also feels too long. The overall length is a bit more considering the fact that the content does not have that much to keep the parts strong. The movie also goes on a predictable path with nothing new getting on the screen. The side characters are often lost, without the kind of significance which made other films like Kunjiramayanam and Adi Kapyare Koottamani successful. This one was so close to being a wild adventure ride, but not that much there to be taken. The fact that the movie gets back to Kerala from Tamil Nadu too soon, then everyone travels vice versa, does not help the purpose at all. The female characters also fall short except for some dialogues.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led by Rajesh Madhavan, whose work has been memorable through Minnal Murali, Nna Thaan Case Kodu and Maranamass which had him making such a fine impact in different ways, but surely adding some fine humour. Jagadish’s work reminds us of what he did in Falimy, a movie which had similar humour running through, and had become a family travel humour sample to look forward to. Ashokan and Sudheesh adds to the humour well, according to the situations. Manoj K Jayan as Aruvi also brings both the funny as well as the emotional side to work. Vineeth as Abubacker also contributes to the fun, and Arun Cherukavil nicely supports him in the world of gangsters with a little too much of fear – the early gangster fun had surely got everyone interested. Shabareesh Varma keeps doing what he has been doing since Premam, really well. Abhiram Radhakrishnan can also be seen as further adding to the humour. Srikrishna Dayal as Saravanan gives the character the right elements of a real gangster, and Sidharth Bharathan remains notable.

How it finishes :: Not to be confused with other movies with the same or similar titles but deals with different topics and genre, Dheeran is that kind of a movie which goes on the lines of simple and silly fun with some dark humour to support it, and the same comes up with memorable moments. With Malayattoor as the setting, there is the feeling of watching something familiar with this one. The world of villagers and later that of gangsters work effectively here, and the funny side does not disappear from this one even when there is a serious scene or flow of emotions. The action comes strong by the end, with the adventure almost reaching that fine ending which also leaves like a feel-good movie, but with even a scope for sequel that could develop these characters in an even better way. Despite the bumps here and there, the movie is surely worth a try, especially as we keep looking for some lighter moments in a world of chaos. A weekend with this movie running on television would surely be the one with the laughs.

Release date: 4th July 2025
Running time: 137 minutes
Directed by: Devadath Shaji
Starring: Rajesh Madhavan, Jagadish, Ashokan, Manoj K Jayan, Sidharth Bharathan, Vineeth, Sudheesh, Shabareesh Varma, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Aswathy Manoharan, Srikrishna Dayal, Arun Cherukavil, Indumathy Manikandan, Vijaya Sadhan