| Directed by | Fellini T.P. |
|---|---|
| Written by | Fellini T.P. |
| Produced by | Arya |
| Starring | Kunchacko Boban Arvind Swamy Eesha Rebba Jackie Shroff |
| Cinematography | Gautham Sankar |
| Music by | A. H. Kaasif |
| Production companies | August Cinema The Show People |
Gist of the Story
Kichu, a slacker, longs for quick riches. He is given the weird task of becoming friends with a strange man named David who has forgotten who he is. Can Kichu accept the position? The action that follows is what drives the story forward.
Plot
An unemployed young man named Kichu (Kunchacko Boban) is preparing to leave the nation with his girlfriend Kalyani (Eesha Rebba), who has landed a job in Norway. He accepts a task from a shadowy organization to befriend David, alias Dawood (Arvind Swami), a notorious underworld don who has entirely lost his memory as a result of a shooting, in order to finance this plot. He needs Kichu’s assistance to help him retrieve his memories, which might help the group locate the lost gold. The subsequent events are what move the plot along.
Performance
Kunchacko Boban looks fantastic in a role that has never been seen before. Although the two performers are only six years apart, Kunchacko, with a half ponytail and trendy attire, appears to be a much younger relative. The star is Arvind Swami, who commands attention on screen. The director could have urged him to speak in his native accent rather than forcing him to speak Malayalam with such a heavy accent. The two principal actors are the highlights of the movie. The pairing of Kunchacko Boban and Aravind Swami keeps the audience focused on the story. Rest of the cast has nothing much to do.
Direction / Technical Side
Ottu, directed by Fellini TP, is different from the director’s last film, Theevandi, which was written by S Sanjeev. Clearly, the director attempts to be original. The movie lays a lot of emphasis on the road journey Kichu conducts with David in order to reawaken his memories of places that are intimately connected to his history. The majority of this journey is filled with pure monotony, with the plot moving along at a glacial pace save from a few entertaining parts. The only thing that kind of works is the chemistry between the two performers and how their relationship develops during the journey. In the second half of the movie, there is a sequence of gunshots that is unusual for Malayalam cinema as one gang moves into the quarters of another.
Even within its own reality, the plot doesn’t actually stand up very well, and a lot of suspension of disbelief is necessary. The second part contains more turns. Sadly, despite all the twists and turns, there is no real payoff. They may have been successful on paper, but they failed to execute. This was not the best it could have been. It is distinct from the norm, yet it is undoubtedly unconvincing.
Verdict; Ottu is neither a typical movie nor a convincing one. By the halfway point, it is unclear if the film is a thriller, a road movie, or a typical gangster movie. The only thing that keeps the audience interested is the “bromance” between Aravind Swami and Kunchacko Boban.