Narivetta

Rating - 3.5/5

A socio political drama set on the backdrop of a tribal forest area questioning the political authoritative powers against their cruel atrocities on humanity.

The plot of the story revolves around a young struggling guy who had to join Police force succumbed to family pressures and how he discovers his real purpose of life therein forms the storyline.

Hats off to the writer and director for showing the grit to pull off a politically sensitive story inspired from true events that happened in the landscape of Kerala. The story shows us how the patience and rights of the underprivileged strata of the society is tested by the bureaucratic power. The filmmaker has portrayed his political stand like in his previous outings and highlighted the fact that the powerful people can influence on what the public should be known. The story narration through the realistic narrative approach lost its traction towards the climax wherein the lead actor takes a transformation in his character shade.

Good performance by Tovino and he has moved through the character with distinct layers in ease. Suraj Venjaramood has given a subtle and composed performance. Impressive performances by Cheran & Arya Salim.

Anuraj has given a technically brilliant movie that can be best enjoyed in theatres. Vijay has captured the scenic beauty of Alleppey and the raw earthy landscape of Wayanad without losing its essence. Shameer Muhammed has chopped the movie into a realistic drama with good songs & background score by Jakes Bejoy. Art team deserves appreciation for setting the premises in the forest area. Good sound design by Renganaath Raave and Vishnu P C best enjoyed on Atmos screens.

A good watchable realistic drama on the life of underprivileged from the POV of a cop.

Kudos to the team for shedding light on a dark chapter in history - the Kerala government's and police's brutal treatment of tribal groups. The film is well-crafted, with impressive cinematography and background score, making for a engaging viewing experience. However, the narrative's impact is somewhat diminished by the choice of central character. By not making the protagonist a member of the affected tribal group, the film misses an opportunity to authentically portray the struggles and injustices faced by the victims.

The casting is mostly fine, with Arya standing out, but Tovino and Cheran's performances feel artificial. The movie's pacing is also marred by unnecessary subplots, including a cringe-worthy love story and family drama. These scenes waste valuable screen time that could have been used to delve deeper into the core theme, diluting the seriousness of the central plot.

Despite these flaws, the movie is well-intentioned and tackles a significant subject. With some tweaks and a better script it could have been even more effective in conveying the gravity of the issue. The film's good intentions and technical proficiency make it worth watching, but it's clear that a more nuanced approach would have elevated the narrative. Overall, it's a commendable effort that falls short of its full potential due to some questionable creative choices.

Totally clueless director, just throwing scenes with tricks copies from other movies, stitched together very inappropriately.

Nothing really worked in this movie. Tovino used to have good selection of scripts, what happened tohim recently? Went for the movie after seeing rating, which obviously ooks fabricated after being watched the movie.

Nothing really standing out in this movie, let it be the script, direction, BGM, songs etc. Everything sounded artificial and cringe. Dragging army into this was so unnecessary and sounded like a propaganda.

While it showed 2003 times story, the scenes were shot with least efforts to cover 2020s elements. Wasted 2 hours.

Review: Narivetta - 7/10

First, my thanks to the entire Narivetta team. I wasn't fully aware of the real-life incident the film is based on, as I typically don't follow such news. That unfamiliarity made the storyline feel fresh and engaging. Though I recognized the real-life figures, their on-screen portrayals were both compelling and convincing.

The film moved at a steady pace with no noticeable lag. The scenes were thoughtfully crafted, and the storytelling held my attention throughout. One creative choice that felt unnecessary was the use of timestamps-they didn't add much value, in my opinion.

Casting was a definite highlight, lending a refreshing vibe to the film. The first half flew by, likely because I was deeply immersed. While the second half didn't lag, it did feel like the energy and narrative momentum dipped slightly.

The natural tone of the scenes-especially the dialogues among the Muthanga people and the realistic settings-added authenticity. That said, the performance of Tovino at the protest sequence felt out of place. Tovino's performance in that part leaned too much into melodrama, breaking the film's otherwise grounded feel.

The portrayal of relationships-mother-son, uncle-nephew, and romantic-was heartfelt and thoughtfully done. Certain emotional scenes stood out for their depth. Priyamvada Krishnan was particularly impressive, thanks to the nuanced writing of her character. Her dialogue exchanges with Tovino felt organic and real.

Cheran's performance reminded me at moments of Padmasree Murali, one of my all-time favorite Malayalam actors-not in terms of comparison, but in spirit. Cheran delivered a solid performance true to his role. Arya Salim showed great potential, and her performance was notably strong. Suraj Venjaramood, playing a key role, was effective, though I expected a bit more given his character's weight in the story.

The protest (or "war") scenes were executed with surprising clarity and control-an area where many films falter. Tovino, overall, performed well, though those particular scenes felt a bit overacted.

In summary, Narivetta is a well-crafted and absorbing film with a few minor flaws but a strong emotional core.

As always, this is just my personal perspective.

Sheejith Payyaratta.

Overall the movie was satisfactory. In the first half tovino has no role just backing suraj but second half was nice. Acting was great and emotions connected well. The climax was too small can make it better. Arya salim performed well and priyamvatha krishnan was just for that song minnal vala. The tribal cultures shown there was good. The film tell deep about pand rights and slavery of tribles. In this movie music played a huge role the second half was carried by the music and the bgm. Some seena there are some logical oissues but it does not care while watching. Overall it is a one time watchable movie.