Producer- Sameer Thahir
Director- Sameer Thahir
Cast- Dulquer Salman, Sunny Wayne, Surja Bala, Dhrithiman Chatterjee, Joy Mathew, Vanitha Krishnachandran etc.
Music- Rex Vijayan
Review By : Unni R Nair (Kerala9.com )
Sameer Thahir takes us on an enchanting trip this time, with his ‘Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi’. The cinematographer-turned-director, who had earlier given us ‘Chaapa Kurish’ and ‘Esha’ (‘Esha’ is one of the five films in ‘5 Sundarikal’), this time explores a totally new terrain in Malayalam Cinema; and I should say that despite the slight lag that has come in, especially in the latter half of the film, it’s simply marvellous. Kudos, Sameer and team!!
‘Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi’ traces the journey undertaken by Kasi (Dulquer Salman) and his close pal Suni (Sunny Wayne) on their motor-cycles, starting from Kerala and moving northwards. At the start it’s said that they are out without a destination in mind and that Suni is accompanying Kasi out of his own choice. Kasi’s decision was to go alone and he had told Suni that he’s just going away, maybe to the Himalayas. When Kasi finally kick starts his journey, he finds Suni waiting on the road for him, with a bike that he has taken from his uncle. Together they begin the trip. Though Kasi doesn’t say it, both he and Suni know very well where they are going. They pass through Andhra and arrive at Puri, from where they pass through Konark, places in rural West Bengal, Kolkata etc and move on, towards Nagaland. En-route they do meet people, all of whom have their own stories to tell and with whom Kasi and Suni relate in some way or the other. Their final destination however is Nagaland, where lives Assi (Surja Bala), Kasi’s sweet-heart.
The highlight of the film is that every single frame in it is beautiful. The locations are all well-chosen, the journey is well-narrated and it just flows on, like a slow river. You get the feel that you are sailing through a river, taking in the diverse sights at different spots on its banks and at the same time moving on to a final destination…Well, for those fed on formula films and for fans of Dulquer Salman and Sunny Wayne, the film may seem lagging in the second half. But lag or no lag, ‘Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi’ is a film that stands out as exquisitely beautiful and which is definitely not your usual road movie.
Performance
Dulquer Salman does a commendable job as Kasi and deserves real appreciation. Sunny Wayne lends able support while Surja Bala is also good. Dhrithiman Chatterjee and all others do their parts quite convincingly.
Technical aspects
Excellent cinematography, by Gireesh Gangadharan, is of course the highlight of ‘Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi’. You just can’t take your eyes off the beautiful frames; yes, it’s beauty and nothing but spell-binding beauty, from start to end. Sreekar Prasad has also done a wonderful job as the editor.
Music
Rex Vijayan lends able support on the music side; the songs are all good.
Script
Script by Hashir Mohamed is excellent. The way the story is blended with characters and their lives that we meet in the course of the journey and the way events from Kerala’s recent past are interwoven with the narrative makes it all interesting. Good job! It’s the splendour, the diversity of life that the film unravels and we travel, along with the protagonists, from one point to the other…
Direction
Sameer Thahir proves it once again. He’s indeed a director worth reckoning. As for ‘Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi’, it’s a film in which Sameer puts in his heart and soul, directing it with élan and also imparting to it a beauty which only a cinematographer-turned-director can…
Verdict- Excellent work. Spell-binding frames…Much more than a road movie!!
Rating: 3.5/5