When ‘Manjummel Boys’ trailer was launched, it immediately struck a chord with everyone. It had all the essence to keep you invested. It’s the story of 11 youngsters from Kochi’s Manjummel who encounter a tragedy at the Guna Caves in Tamil Nadu’s Kodaikanal. The positive buzz surrounding the film reflected in the pre-sales as well. Did ‘Manjummel Boys’ live up to expectations?
Director Chidambaram’s ‘Manjummel Boys’ opens with Kamal Haasan’s ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kadhal’ from the famous film, ‘Guna’. Those who are fans of Kamal Haasan and Ilaiyaraaja can never skip the song even after several decades. The song has a brilliant callback in the climax, which will make you hoot and cheer. It’s a film that talks about friendship, police negligence, survival instincts and faith in simple yet understandable terms.
Based on a real-life story that transpired in 2006, ‘Manjummel Boys’ is a survival drama about a man who is stuck in the never-ending Guna Caves. This is not a film that relies on heavy music or melodrama. Instead, it sticks to realism and relies heavily on human emotions. When Subhash (Sreenath Bhasi) takes a nasty fall into the Guna caves, it is his friend Kuttan (Soubin Shahir), who offers to take the courageous step to rescue him. The Guna Caves is also called Devil’s Kitchen and history has it that no man/woman who fell into it made it out alive.
Here’s the trailer:
The initial stretch of the film gives an idea of the 11 boys who are just living their lives drinking and playing tug-of-war. What starts as a tug-of-war between two teams eventually becomes a tug-of-war between life and death. Similarly, there’s a conversation with the trip’s driver about God. It has a profound callback later in the film. ‘Manjummel Boys’ transports you into the world of the 11 boys who go through a rollercoaster of emotions.
From silly fights to fighting for life, from taking to the bottle to facing difficulty due to rain, the film has several moments that show two extremes. Director and writer Chidambaram does a wonderful job of capturing these moments. That said, ‘Manjummel Boys’ also has its shortcomings. The film relies on simplicity and ‘to-the-point’ story and hence, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Also, the stretch with the negligent police officers is borderline irritating. More than negligence, they look dumb as they are clueless about even the basic formalities.
‘Manjummel Boys’ is a story about resilience and the bonds that we form in our lives. Superlative performances are aided by Shyju Khalid’s cinematography, which captures Kodaikanal in its truest sense. Not just Soubhin Shahir and Sreenath Bhasi, Deepak Parambol, Khalid Rahman and George Martin delivered brilliant performances too.
Director Chidambaram’s ‘Manjummel Boys’ is a heartwarming thriller which is earnest in its attempt.
3 out of 5 stars for ‘Manjummel Boys’.
