‘Jan-E-Man’ Malayalam film overview: Hits all the precise notes with its creative script

When a tightrope walker manages to walk throughout comfortably, regardless of the rope being not really easy to barter, one can not however get up and applaud. Particularly so, when it’s a first-timer, which is the case with Chidambaram, who makes his filmmaking debut with Jan-E-Man, pulling off an admirable feat of balancing.

Additionally Learn | Get ‘First Day First Present’, our weekly e-newsletter from the world of cinema, in your inbox. You can subscribe for free here

Most frequently, filmmakers wrestle to search out the precise steadiness when there are two or three conflicting emotional tones within the narrative. Right here, the script is written in such a manner that the tonal shifts from the humorous to the morbid takes place in nearly each different scene, that would appear a lot simpler to lose that steadiness. But, the makers, in addition to the actors, not solely handle to get it excellent, additionally they take the viewers alongside on a roller-coaster journey of emotional highs and lows, which come relentlessly one after the opposite.

On the centre of all of it is Joymon (Basil Joseph), working as a nurse in Canada. Away from family and friends, none of whom have endurance to hearken to him throughout his frequent cellphone calls, loneliness is gnawing at him. Nearing his breaking level, Joymon decides to make a journey again to Kerala to have a good time him thirtieth birthday. Pressured to assist him are his previous pals, Faisal Khan (Ganapathi), who’s organising the entire social gathering, and Sampath (Arjun Ashokan), who reluctantly agrees for the social gathering to be organised at his residence.

However, the social gathering that Joymon has deliberate is way past their creativeness, Complicating issues additional is a demise within the neighbouring home. With Joymon in no temper to cancel his birthday celebration, or scale down the celebrations, the stage is about for a collision course.

Whereas the script by Chidambaram, Ganapathi and Sapnesh Varachal progresses by alternating between the contrasting moods in each the homes, there may be extra to it than this construction. Various characters, and facet tales, are packed into the narrative seamlessly, with out the viewers by no means shedding join from the central thread. As an example, there may be the occasion supervisor — employed by Joymon for his birthday — who finally ends up with extra enterprise after easily taking over the preparations in the home the place the demise has occurred. Then there’s a goon’s bodyguard, with a heavy Palakkad accent, who sees hazard for his grasp, the place none exists, and a preferred serial actor who creates fairly a stir in each homes… all of it resulting in a lot hilarity.

Although it nearly seems as an apart, the subject of psychological well being can also be on the core of the narrative. The script easily transitions into that dialogue between two characters going through nearly related points, dealing with it in numerous methods, and zooms out of them simply as easily. The delicate portrayal of their points doesn’t stick out as an consciousness class. The scene is among the many highs that the movie manages to hit, to not overlook a wonderfully written fireworks scene, and a ‘Superman tribute’.

Jan-E-man, with its creative script and earnest performances, hits all the precise notes.