Movie Review : ARM
The story of ARM ( Tamil dubbed version) stretches across 3 timelines, with Tovino Thomas in a triple role.
Ajayan ( Tovino Thomas), lives with his widowed mother ( Rohini) in a small village, where he teaches kids and works as an electrician. He is treated as an outcast by the villagers as his maternal grandfather Manian ( Tovino Thomas) was a dangerous robber of his times. Ajayan strives hard to shake off the tag but the villagers are hell bent on suspecting him for every theft in the village.
Primarily, is in the cross hairs of the village bigwig, Chathuri Nambiar, whose daughter (Krithi Shetty) he is in love with.
Into this scenario, walks in Sudev Varma (Harish Uthaman), a royal aristocrat who actually wants Ajayan to commit a crime, by robbing the invaluable village deity, gifted by his royal forefathers to Kelur ( Tovino Thomas), a brave warrior, who saved his forfather's kingdom from invaders. He also threatens Ajayan with dire consequences if he refuses.
What is the story behind that deity? Why is it so invaluable? Does Ajayan accept this assignment? What secrets does Ajayan uncover is his journey forward?
Director Jithan Laal has woven a spectacular tale laced with fantasy, action and adventure which keeps you hooked to the screen. The fast moving screenplay allows for never a dull moment. The non-linear narration and fantasy elements leave you wonder struck, right from the story of Kelur, to the feats of Manian and the struggles of Ajayan.
The action blocks are superbly craafted, right from the starting fight of Kelur setting the tone. The kalari competition with Ajayan is another highlight, as are fights on the cliff edge and the forest, between Manian and the villagers, to name a few.
There are emotional highs with the mother sentiment and the relationship of Manian with his wife, but the director steers clear of melodrama.
The romantic portions between Krithi and Tovino showcase the innocence and depth of their affection and bond with each other.
The bgm and music by Dhibu Ninan Thomas is a mainstay of the film as is the vfx and camerawork with fantastic visuals, play of light and shadows in scenes with oil lamps and torches, night scenes, verdure and fantastic locations.
Tovino Thomas excels as all the three characters and breathes life into each one of them, in a fantastic act that should rank amongst his best performances. The bravery on Kelur, the mystery and raw strength of Manian and the innocence of Ajayan are well brought out, keeping you invested in the characters all through.
Krithi Shetty is the perfect foil to Tovino's Ajayan, displaying the innocence of youth and the faith in her love against all odds, for him.
Harish Uthaman as the stylish villain who uses brain and not brawn to get his goals, is superb in his act, in a differently written character, that he breathes life into.
On the flip side, there are portions where the story seems to jump. The non-linear narration requires concentration while the loud bgm drowns out crucial dialogues in several places.
With social messages thrown in, superb performances and an interesting story merged with folkore, rivetting screenplay, period setting, sentiment, fantasy, captivating visuals, action and edge-of-the- seat thrilling adventure, with the hint of a sequel, ARM makes for a superb family watch.
Rating 4/5
ARM Movie Cast And Crew Details:
Cast:
Tovino Thomas
Krithi Shetty
Aishwarya Rajesh
Surabhi Lakshmi
Basil Joseph
Rohini
Harish Uthaman
Nisthar Sait
Jagadish
Pramod Shetty
Aju Varghese
Sudheesh
Crew:
Director: Jithin Laal
Written by Sujith Nambiar
Produced by Listin Stephen, Dr. Zachariah Thomas
Banner: Magic Frames
Music & BGM: Dhibu Ninan Thomas
Director of Photography: Jomon T John Isc
Editor: Shameer Muhammed
Co-Producer: Justin Stephen
Executive Producer: Naveen P Thomas, Prince Paul
Line Producer: Santhosh Krishnan
Costume Designer: Praveen Varma
Stunts: Vikram Mor, Pheonix Prabhu
Choreographer: Lalitha Shobi
Kalari Stunt: P.V. Sivakumar Gurukal
Creative Director: Dipil Dev
Sound Design: Sachin & Hariharan (Sync Cinema)
Lyrics: Manu Manjith
VFX Supervisor: Salim Lahir
PRO : Sathish S2media
Tamil Dubbing: Mysee Movies
Dubbing Director: Rishikesh K
Dialogues: Ramesh, Agaran, Kailash
