Munnariyippu

Story: The film moves around a prisoner and a journalist who tries to unravel the air of mystery that surrounds him.

Review : It feels good to watch Mammootty in Munnariyippu. It’s as though the waxy glow on his face has melted away revealing a face that looks so human and so earthy. He plays Raghavan, a man convicted of double homicide, a prisoner who refuses to leave prison even after he has served his sentence. The film which grows out of constant meetings between a mysterious prisoner and a curious journalist is a heart-warming instance of simple, earnest filmmaking.


The simplicity of the script and its smooth nature mean that there is so much for the cast to accomplish on screen. This is where Mammootty’s significance soars, so does that of Aparna who is the freelance journalist (Anjali Arakkal) who incidentally chances upon the person called Raghavan.

The answer Anjali seeks is whether Raghavan was guilty or not, whether he was a victim of false judgment. The film's narrative completely jettisons all pretense of a normal thriller. The pursuit of truth is not frantic, it is rather an entrusted exercise for the journalist who has signed a contract. For her, the mystery of this man is meat for her book so that the volume could meet the demands of her publishers.

Naturally the script makes up for the feverish scramble for truth with anguished wheedling from Anjali. Tension rumbles subtly every time she tries to make him write. The persuasion of Anjali is met with the weak, helpless gazes of Raghavan, his evasive eyes flitting around like flies avoiding a lizard.

Aparna doesn’t flinch a bit in the presence of acting prowess. She carries with her a sense of calm, a mind completely conscious of her own business in this film, never ever letting an outward element bog her down. She holds loads of promise, bringing out ambitions of a journalist, the instincts for survival and eyes that gleam with curiosity.

Mammootty pays due respect to Raghavan as he unearths the roots of the prisoner. He builds up the mystery with a swath of innocence, touches of philosophy and the weakness of a loner. He invests himself deeply in every frame and every time he does so, he makes viewers sit up and take notice. The subtlety is maintained as substitutes for elaborate story telling ploys and lengthy recollections, something that adds to the visual style of the film. Munnariyippu might not go well with a section of viewers, but this is a smart way of making a film and reinventing an actor.