Movie Review : Youth

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Unnikrishnan ( Suraj Venjaramoodu) a bakery owner and Saroja ( Devadharshini) are parents to Praveen (Ken) who is bad at studies. His mother however, dreams he will become an IAS officer while his father  rues the fact that his son barely manages to get the pass mark in the 10th class board exams.



Oblivious to all this, Praveen's  aim in life is  to find a girlfriend and one day marry the same girl. Usually no girl in his school talks to  him but when one day Preshika (Meenakshi Dinesh) becomes close to him he can hardly believe his luck. 

But more good luck is in store for him, when Sonal(Priyanshi Yadav) too shows feelings for him.  

What happens when Preshika finds out about Sonal? And who is  Kanaka ( Anishma) the third girl in his life? What happens to his mothers dreams for him? Does he find out the true meaning of love?



The film lives up to its title, with every portion of the film dedicated to bringing to life the delights, travails, highs and lows of the young. 

Director at 23, Ken Karunas displays maturity  in the choice of storyline, which leads up to  a beautifully conveyed message. The  characters are presented with dollops of humor but through all that,  the story actually seeks to bring to light the essence  of relationships and what unconditional love is  about. 

The film is perfectly cast. Ken is superb as the live wire Praveen in search for  love, even as he navigates life with his  loyal bunch of friends (all fantastic in their roles). Ken's expressions, body language and dialogue delivery are terrific ( a star in the making)  and he slips into the role and holds fort, diplaying the innocence of teen love, humor and emotions with credibility.

Anishma, Piyanshi and Meenakshi Dinesh are top notch performers and each of their pairing  with Ken adds immense value to the story. 

Devadarshini is a delight as she delivers one of her career best performances while Suraj Venjaramoodu's exemplary performance is another highlight of the film.  Together, this pair rock on screen. 

Another delightful performance is that of veteran actor Nalini as the principal.

Its not just the humor that's a highlight. Ken  also excels in bringing out the best in his actors with emotional scenes that bring a lump in your throat. The film establishes a connect between the viewer and the characters and will make many people nostalgic about their school days, friends and especially the unsung sacrifices  and unconditional love of parents.

GV Prakash delights with his bgm and peppy tracks while the camera, editing, choreography and art department deserve kudos as well.  

The trendy making, the steady pace with no lags, the screenplay with humorous twists at regular intervals, superb visuals, songs and a variety of characters, and light- hearted treatment  ensures entertainment all through. 

Watch out for  the impactful emotional climax portions. The film has a unique message that family audiences will connect with. 

While teen love stories and coming of age movies maybe aplenty, the way  Ken brings to life,  a jolly, slice- of -life,  feel good rom com and family drama, without melodrama, preachy dialogues or stereotypical characters, giving every actor his due,  makes Youth stand out.

Overall, Youth is a lively,  entertaining and engaging rom com and coming of age drama, which will strike a chord with both youth and family audiences. And with Ken, a talented  actor-director ( who understands the pulse of his audience) is born.

RATING  3.75 / 5


Cast: 

Ken Karunas, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Devadarshini, Anishma, Meenakshi, Priyanshi, Chinna Tamizha

Music : GV Prakash

Director: Ken Karunas




 

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