ATHITHI MOVIE REVIEW

A happy couple goes for a ride and offers lift to a complete stranger, stranded on a road due to a car break down. The couple’s day turns out to be one of the most difficult, unforgettable and a day of realization. That is Athithi in a nutshell for you.

 

Starring Nanda, Ananya and Nikesh Ram in the lead, Athithi is a remake of the British-Canadian thriller, Butterfly on a Wheel, starring Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler and Maria Bello. The English movie was also remade in Malayalam as Cocktail in 2010 by director Arun Kumar. 

 

Nanda and Ananya play a loving husband and an understanding wife respectively, and debutante Nikesh Ram portrays the role of a stranger (or the unexpected guest, as the tagline points out), who turns their life upside down. Both Nanda and Ananya play their parts cool and subtle. Their onscreen chemistry is sweet in its own way and natural, in most parts, all credits to the leads.

 

The same cannot be said about debutante Nikesh Ram. Although the cause of his part is well served, spotting expressions in his unkempt face seems to be a hard task. Thambi Ramaiah does his job well and triggers laughter at few places as usual, but he is still expendable. 

 

The film takes its own time to move ahead, but a few interesting sequences keep the audiences to the seats. Director Bharathan has done a smart job in keeping song sequences to the minimum. However, the music in the movie isn’t the best work of composer Bharadwaj.

 

Cinematographer Jai has kept the visuals natural and less flashy, to suit the grim theme of the movie. A few notable compositions include the opening shot of the film involving Nikesh on a roof top and a variety of road sequences.

 

National Award winning editor Praveen KL has brilliantly incorporated a different kind of edit style, popularly known as video cue cuts. Make sure to not miss his work.

 

Although, Athithi proceeds at a laborious pace, the director has come up with an intelligent climax that could take you completely off guard.