BEHINDWOODS COLUMN

The first draw towards director Anjali Menon’s Bangalore Days is its cast. The movie features all the current hotshots of Malayalam Cinema – Dulquer Salman, Nivin Pauly, Nazriya Nazim, Fahadh Faasil, Parvathy, Isha Talwar, and Nithya Menen.
 

Even after the movie, the draw towards Bangalore Days is the same cast – not for their star value as before, but for their terrific performances.
 

Bangalore Days takes us through the journey of how the gang of three cousins, who also happen to be best friends – Aju (Dulquer Salman), Kunju (Nazriya Nazim), and Kuttu (Nivin Pauly) – gets three new members.
 

Aju is a guy who follows his heart – a modern day gypsy. Kunju represents the everyday Indian woman who foregoes dreams for family. Kuttu’s life takes orders from everyone, except his own. They all end up in Bangalore – Aju out of choice, Kunju for her married life, and Kuttu for his job. And, what the city offers to their lives – RJ Sarah (Parvathy), Das (Fahadh Faasil), Meenakshi (Isha Talwar), and Michelle – is what Bangalore Days is all about.
 

Anjali Menon’s characters are strong. Almost everyone has a personal issue to deal with – Aju’s failed parentage, Kunju’s shattered dreams, Kuttu’s identity concerns, Das’ love, Sarah’s quadriplegia… Their answers and how they find the answers forms the crux of Bangalore Days.
 

Not just in their author backed roles, Anjali also details the characters with fitting accessories.
 

Aju’s cell phone has a broken screen - his brashness.
 

Kuttu is always seen with neatly combed hair – his country upbringing.
 

Das’ order and neatness is a cover for his mess locked inside a room.
 

More importantly, Anjali never allows scenes to get melodramatic.
 

In a scene, when Aju is broken with his childhood memories of divorced parents, Anjali does not fill in with tear jerking dialogues. Rather, she brings in Kuttu along with Aju’s childhood toys. Bliss.
 

When Das seeks forgiveness from his dead lover’s parents, she brings in a dog – Das’s gift to the family during the earlier days – that leaps over Das. That act of dog breaks the ice, eases out all the hard emotions, and opens up the talk.
 

Another scene, when a dejected Kunju has to travel alone, we see Kuttu coming out of nowhere and taking the seat next to her. Silently. No dialogues. And, Kunju isn’t even surprised, as if she always knew that her cousin would be there to back her up.
 

Those moments are what Bangalore Days is made of. That’s Anjali Menon. She, with her craft, bypasses all drama, and leaves everyone openmouthed and smiling.
 

Coming to performances:
 

Nivin Pauly leads the pack. A glimpse of him and the theatre erupts. When he completes his act, the theatre erupts more.
 

Fahadh Faasil, time and again, proves that he is one of the finest actors around. He emotes effortlessly. If you hate him for his smug ways with his wife – all credits go to the actor Fahadh Faasil.
 

Nazriya was terrific. She charms with her performance, especially the curt replies to her husband keeps the audience in splits. In Fahadh’s words, “Nazriya is magic.” We get to witness that magic onscreen.
 

Parvathy plays yet another role that shows her histrionic abilities.
 

Finally, Dulquer Salmaan – He rocks the show. His screen presence and eccentricity drives the movie, and his Dirt Bike: 69.
 

To show Bangalore in all its colors and pep, Sameer Thahir (DoP) and Gopi Sunder (the Music Director) has played a major part. In particular, the climax bike race stands proof of their efforts and talent.
 

In a nutshell, to leave the cinema hall beaming with joy, go watch ‘Bangalore Days’, because the three musketeers – Aju, Kunju and Kuttu – are a little hard to resist.
 

Mithun
Follow @Mith_Si