Darvinte Parinamam

Story: The movie has two heroes – depending on the perspective – a gangster named Gorilla Darvin (Chemban Vinod) and a young satellite TV operator Anil Anto (Prithviraj).

Review: Director Jijo Anthony’s Darvinte Parinamam might have a formulaic story of the protagonist leading a happy life till a villain wreaks havoc. The hero then evolves and seeks salvation. What makes this film different is the perspective from which it is intentionally told.

The movie has two heroes – depending on the perspective – a gangster named Gorilla Darvin (Chemban Vinod) and a young satellite TV operator Anil Anto (Prithviraj). Both struggle before settling into a happy life with their close family and friends. However, a chain-snatching incident brings them together and the consequent events change their lives.

The story and concept hold promise, but the execution falters due to the lack of clarity in the script and direction. The emotional turmoil that Prithviraj’s character undergoes after a tragedy obviously has the audience rooting for him and sympathizing less for Darvin. The latter’s perspective, crudely shown, seems diluted to glorify the movie’s apparent hero.

For Prithviraj, the film reminds the audience of the actor’s Puthiya Mukham days with plenty of drawn out action scenes. However, the emotional scenes with his wife (Chandini) and the one at the police station come off as melodramatic. Chemban Vinod is impressive as the eponymous hero, while Shammi Thilakan and Soubin Shahir offer some genuine chuckles.

Sankar Sharma’s songs and background score offer a peppy feel. Darvinte Parinamam loses steam when this evolutionary tale grapples with too many ideas at the end as if the director is rushing to make a case for Darvin. Crisp editing and more clarity could have made this average entertainer, a more gripping tale. – Sanjith Sidhardhan