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This is an archive article published on January 19, 2024
Vivekanandan Viralaanu movie review: Have veteran Malayalam directors forgotten how common people speak and behave?
Vivekanandan Viralaanu movie review: The film serves as a misguided pamphlet written by men attempting to define feminism, women empowerment, rape, sexual perversion and social media without grasping the basics.
Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko (Image: Still from Vivekanandan Viralaanu)
The headline isn’t a generalisation, yet it’s also not an exaggeration because a look at the recent films helmed by various Malayalam film veterans denotes that they are so far detached from reality, failing to resonate with everyday lives.
Kamal’s Vivekanandan Viralaanu underscores this point, presenting itself as a film addressing relevant issues but essentially serving as a misguided pamphlet written by men attempting to define feminism, women empowerment, rape, sexual perversion and social media without grasping even the basics.
Revolving around a man, named Vivekanandan (Shine Tom Chacko, presented as the “Shining Star” in the title cards for reasons unknown) who is into sadomasochism, the film explores his relationships with his wife Sithara (Swasika) and partner Dayana (Grace Antony), both bearing the brunt of his cruel kinks.
Despite a strong plot with numerous possibilities, Vivekanandan Viralaanu disappoints by not utilising any of its possibilities, resulting in a tedious and frustrating viewing experience due to subpar writing, character development, performances and overall execution.
Even with a runtime of just 121 minutes, the movie leaves viewers questioning whether the makers had a clear vision of what they were tackling at any point. As the movie progresses, incidents unfold without genuine or compelling moments, feeling manufactured. Even the dialogues between characters lack naturalness and often seem plainly scripted. Compounding these issues are noticeable problems with dubbing, where a considerable number of dialogues spoken by actors during filming are visibly replaced with alternative terms that do not synchronize with their lip movements.
Shoddy writing, aimless direction and abysmal performances by literally all actors, hinder Vivekanandan Viralaanu from the start. As it moves ahead, matters only worsen. The inclusion of supposedly progressive dialogues and incidents, which seem to be borrowed from discussions in pseudo-liberal social media circles, combined with Shine Tom Chacko’s performance reminiscent of his public persona, prevent Vivekanandan Viralaanu from truly taking off.
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Almost the entire narrative and instances have been crafted quite conveniently, demanding minimal to no research. However, given the film’s exploration of serious topics, these oversights become glaringly apparent.
One positive aspect of the movie is its refusal to sympathize with Vivekanandan or present him as anything but a proper villain. Nevertheless, this attribute is overshadowed by the numerous flaws in Vivekanandan Viralaanu. Also, what is this obsession with making characters express every single point through dialogues. Sometimes, you can show rather than just tell, right?
Vivekanandan Viralaanu movie cast: Shine Tom Chacko, Swasika. Grace Antony
Vivekanandan Viralaanu movie director: Kamal
Vivekanandan Viralaanu movie rating: 0.5 stars
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