The young man who surprised the viewers with the well made ‘ Passenger’ , his debut film, has come up with a much better effort, aesthetically and technically, in ‘ Arjunan Sakshi’ . Controlled performances from the lead pair, Prithviraj and Anne
Augustine, add to the substance of the movie.
Though the title looks a little slow and tame, the film is made almost like a thriller. It is all about young architect Roy Mathew (Prithviraj), who leaves Mangalore to settle in Kochi, his native place. He comes into contact with reporter Anjali (Anne) quite accidentally and he is mistaken for Arjunan, who had written a letter to a daily saying that he knew the killers of district collector Firos Mooppan (Mukesh), but did not have the guts to come out into the open. Soon, Roy finds himself hounded by goons and ‘ quotation’ gangs. The question is: Who is the real Arjunan? Why is he afraid of speaking the truth? What will happen if he spills what he knows?
Ranjith Shankar, who has written the script of the film, has done the first half of the film brilliantly. The way he pictures Kochi blows our minds off! The car chase scene where Roy is attacked by a group of goons in cars is enthralling, to say the least. Surely, not many Malayalam cinemas can boast of such stylish frames and shots. Two hours flit past the viewers in a jiffy. Ajayan Vincent, you are the hero in the film! Images : Prithviraj in 'Arjunan Sakshi' As we know, the biggest hurdles to development are posed not by the poor, but the elite business people who have lots to lose when prime lands are acquired. They do whatever they
can, including murder, to get things done the way they want them to be done. Though ordinary people are witness to most of these atrocities, they are afraid to come into the open and speak the truth; because they are fearful of the consequences; because they fear
that the system would never come to their rescue. It is here that Arjunans, fearless warriors for truth are required.
Just like in his debut film, he focusses on the rampant corruption that has our country at its mercy. But, in his overzealousness, he loses the plot somewhere in the middle of the second half. Also, the climax of the film looks amateurish when compared to the early portions. The director could have taken a little longer than he did to plug a few holes in the script.
Prithviraj is brilliant in the role of
Roy and he gets good company in Anne. Though her part is rather small, she carries off her role like a veteran. Actors such as Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Suraj Venjaramood and Biju Menon have done just what they were required to. Bijibal’ s music is good. ‘ Arjunan Sakshi’ gives one a beautiful cinematic experience. For that alone, Malayali film buffs would be in debted to the young filmmaker.
For Prithviraj, reeling under the debacles of ‘ Anwar’ and ‘ Thriller’ , ‘ Arjunan Sakshi’ comes as a welcome relief. Indeed, here is a film he can be very proud of. Verdict Go, watch the movie!
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