Athiradi movie review: Basil Joseph and Tovino Thomas’ film seems like a millennial’s take on Gen Z

That’s pretty much what’s lacking in debutant director Arun Anirudhan’s Athiradi. Yes, Sreekuttan Vellayani aka Kuttan (Tovino Thomas) is a unique villain and is presented like a Goliath. However, the issue is that his Goliath-ness is limited to the presentation alone. The situation is more or less the same for other characters, too.

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While the makers have tried to inflate the action comedy as much as possible — in fact, worryingly close to the tipping point — the only problem is that the Athiradi balloon is so transparent that the hollowness within is quite evident. Whether the makers failed to conceal this or left it so on purpose is something only they can explain.

Remember that scene in Ee Parakkum Thalika (2001) where Unnikrishnan (Dileep) asks Sundaran (Harisree Ashokan) to decorate their old bus by slipping in flowers and small plants into all the holes in it? Once the task is done, the vehicle appears like a moving forest because of the sheer number of plants they had to use. Athiradi is that in movie form, where Arun Anirudhan and his co-writer Paulson Skaria have tried to fill the gaps in the narrative with Gen-Z lingo, pop culture references, and the partial recreation of popular memes. Sadly, there were simply too many holes.

Watch Athiradi trailer here:

Following an unfortunate stampede that kills three students, BCET College decides to call off its prestigious Arohan fest permanently. Years later, Samkutty (Basil Joseph) joins the college and begins making efforts to restart Arohan, believing this would help his elder brother (Vishnu Agasthya) overcome the guilt over the notion that he, albeit unknowingly, caused the stampede. Despite each of his attempts backfiring, Sam never gives up, and finally, after 3.5 years, he secures permission to organise the fest. However, the event, which starts off well, soon turns chaotic as the students of BCET lock horns with Sreekuttan Vellayani (Tovino Thomas). A reformed local don, Kuttan’s ego is hurt when his musical programme is cancelled due to the fight, and he sets out to ruin Arohan in the aftermath. What follows is a high-stakes David vs Goliath battle between Sam and Kuttan.

Athiradi is basically like Sam in the initial years of college — pretends to be cool but is actually a doofus. The only difference between them is that while Sam grows over time, Athiradi remains the same throughout. Although the movie opens strongly with the tragic stampede, it soon transitions into a setup that’s far too familiar these days. I would describe it as the “millennials’ understanding/assumption of what Gen-Zers are — or the lack thereof, a trope frequently used by Malayalam filmmakers these days.

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From social media and news, millennials seem to have developed a certain understanding of Gen-Z, their lifestyle, and way of thinking. Without properly verifying their assumptions, they depict these elements in movies. To sound young, they slip in words and phrases primarily used by GenZ at regular intervals. However, the result is the stereotyping of youngsters, particularly through superficial characterisation that fails to give them depth.

From the outset, Arun and Paulson keep throwing around GenZ lingo. While some are intended to establish the generation in focus, others aim to evoke laughter. For instance, there’s a student, Sam’s rival, who repeatedly claims he is an “Alpha.” He keeps referencing this at various points, and it’s evident that the makers hoped this would crack up viewers. Unfortunately, their attempt comes off as desperate. There are also moments like Sam mistaking the mention of “red flags” for the Communist flag — a hackneyed joke that reflects lazy writing.

A major issue plaguing Malayalam cinema at the moment is filmmakers’ overreliance on popular memes, and that’s evident in Athiradi as well. (Credit: Instagram/@athiradi_movie)

A look at Riya Shibu’s character, Swathy (the so-called female lead), is enough to illustrate how superficial the script is. Not only is she created by simply stitching together stereotypes often associated with Gen-Zers — with the remainder given to Sam — but Swathy is as pointless as the film’s title, Athiradi, in which not a single action sequence stands out.

Another major issue plaguing Malayalam cinema at the moment is filmmakers’ overreliance on popular memes. While one or two in a film might seem fun if woven in organically, peppering the movie with them only exposes the lack of creativity and effort that has gone into the script. Athiradi, too, is weighed down by the forced insertion of such elements, with the most pointless and juvenile being the appearances of social media sensations Joby PU Wayanad, Santhivila Dinesh and Devan.

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Because of its desperate attempts to appear vibrant and cool, Athiradi compromises on the basics: emotions. While Arun and Paulson could have completely avoided it and made the movie a battle of male egos, the writers have also tried to anchor the narrative emotionally to give it more gravity. However, these moments and plot devices — even Sam’s brother’s recorded speech, which is actually pivotal to the narrative — fail to generate the desired impact and end up feeling quite dull.

Even the conflict-building is unimpressive, preventing the rising stakes from truly resonating with the viewer. While the point of no return and the interval block are presented grandly, the build-up to them is shallow, thereby detracting from their overall impact. The lack of depth in the characters, including Sam and Kuttan, worsens the situation, particularly since they display excessive theatrics without meaningful justification for their behaviour. Worse still, the jokes just don’t land at all.

Although Tovino Thomas’ screen presence is admirable as usual, he doesn’t quite embody Kuttan.. (Credit: Instagram/@athiradi_movie)

One reason Sachy’s Driving License (2019) and Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020) impressed many was that the central male characters were well-developed, both horizontally and vertically. Be it Kuruvila (Suraj Venjarammoodu) and Hareendran (Prithviraj Sukumaran) or Ayyappan (Biju Menon) and Koshiy (Prithviraj), the battles of male egos became enticing because the men involved were thoroughly explored. However, Arun and Paulson never delve that deeply into the characters of Sam and Kuttan. Also, the ending was far too obvious and could be seen from a mile away.

While Basil doesn’t physically look out of place as a college student, since Sam isn’t a character only he could have pulled off, it raises the question: why not a 20- or 21-year-old instead of him? Thankfully, the 15-year age gap between Basil and Riya isn’t disgustingly in your face, as their romance is understated and becomes a proper topic only towards the end; then it becomes weird.

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Although Tovino’s screen presence is admirable as usual, he doesn’t quite embody Kuttan. It almost feels as if the real Kuttan has been replaced by a version struggling to pretend to be him convincingly. While Vineeth Sreenivasan’s scenes (he plays a fictional version of himself) are fun, particularly with an unhinged Shaan Rahman by his side, the sheer artificiality in these moments is palpable.

Athiradi’s production design by Maanav Suresh and art direction by Akhil Damodhar are top-notch, shining most in scenes featuring large crowds and numerous props. The atmospheric construction by them makes one feel as if they’ve stepped into an actual college fest venue. Although Vishnu Vijay’s songs are unimpressive, the background score is electrifying. Chaman Chakko’s editing also deserves praise. While Samuel Henry’s cinematography is solid, the unnecessary Dutch angles diminish the viewing experience.

Athiradi movie cast: Basil Joseph, Tovino Thomas, Riya Shibu, Zarin Shihab, Vineeth Sreenivasan
Athiradi movie director: Arun Anirudhan
Athiradi movie rating: 2 stars