Gist of the Story
The story of the movie is said to center on Hari and Ben, who fled their homes after experiencing harsh and toxic upbringings from their respective parents. From Palakkad, they travel to Chennai in the hopes of starting over and establishing their own spaces.
| Directed by | Resul Pookutty |
|---|---|
| Written by | Kiron Prabhakaran |
| Produced by | Resul Pookutty Hariharan S. |
| Starring | Asif Ali Arjun Ashokan |
| Cinematography | Arun Varma |
| Edited by | Zian Sreekanth |
| Music by | M. Jayachandran |
| Production companies | Children Reunited LLP Resul Pookutty Productions |
Detailed Plot
The movie examines toxic parenting and shows how it affects friends and locals of Palakkad, Hariharan (Asif Ali) and Ben (Arjun Ashokan). Because of his stern father, Hariharan, the son of Iyer (Sathyaraj) and Uma (Rohini Molleti), feels alone at home. Ben is upset about his parents divorcing. He resides with his mother Dr. Mary (Bhavana Ramanna), who, because of her hatred against her ex-husband, is constantly critical of him. Hariharan and Ben make the decision to run away since they are unable to handle the mistreatment. From Palakkad, they travel to Chennai in the hopes of starting over and establishing their own spaces. They meet Raju (Indrajith Sukumaran), a man who works at a construction site, while they are there. Do they make it or do they fail in life? – constitute Otta’s central theme.
Artistes’ Performances
The cast members’ performances have to be the real high point of the film. Asif Ali, Arjun Ashokan, and Indrajith all deliver solid performances, but Sathyaraj and Rohini—who portray Hari’s parents—stand out for their deft and subtle acting.
When it comes to Asif Ali, Otta is a far greater upgrade than his dreadful showing in the most recent Kasargold. Although Ben’s experiences and character development are fabricated, Arjun Ashokan’s character still has depth and gloom, making it difficult for him to make an impact. Raju, played by Indrajith, is a badly written character whose storyline seems unrelated to the main plot and more of a casting coup intended to boost the star value on the movie’s posters.
Direction / Technical Side
Otta, the directorial debut of Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty, is about runaway children, thus it makes sense that these characters are included. Resul Pookutty Productions and businessman and philanthropist S Hariharan, who leads the non-profit Children Reunited, are the producers of the film, and it is supposedly based on their real-life tale. Family ties are central to the story, as was previously mentioned. Two important aspects of the story are the rebellious nature of Ben and Hariharan and their emotional connection to their families. The film addresses some very important topics, including child abuse, toxic parenting, and how metro-city employers treat their staff.
Otta makes little attempt to introduce us to the characters or the moments, giving the impression that the audience has joined the story halfway through. Every scene has a sudden start and finish with no explanation. Another factor in the overall failure to communicate significant character development is the drab dialogue. All characters—including Raju—are underdeveloped and incomplete as a result of this problem. Since the story emphasizes the value of excellent parenting, the central idea is still relevant. However, the artistic portrayal of that message is so blah that it will make you want to speak out against toxic parenting in order to stop films like this from being produced.
Verdict;
Otta, directed by Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty, is a film about “runaway children” and their families, addressing themes like child abuse and toxic parenting. However, the film lacks character development and dialogue, making it difficult to connect with the audience.