Naam Review: An enjoyable feel-good campus flick

Naam Review: An enjoyable feel-good campus flick

Campus flicks are aplenty in Malayalam cinema and debutant Joshy Thomas Pallickal’s Naam is the latest one from this genre. But is there anything unique that makes Naam different from the run-of-the-mill campus entertainers? Let’s see.

Naam kicks off rather conventionally with the story being narrated through a flashback. We are straightaway introduced to a bunch of youngsters who come from different walks of life and hit it off at the campus. Naam does not have the usual campus politics or cheesy romance in it, which makes it out a standout from other similar films. Instead, the story focuses on friendship and how the gang stand united at a crucial moment. The plot, based on a real-life incident, does not throw any twists or turns but the director has still managed to keep the audience hooked with some interesting moments. Altogether, the whole movie is packaged in around 135 minutes which makes it a pleasant laid-back watch.

Naam stars Shabareesh Varma, Rahul Madhav, Aditi Ravi, Tony Luke, Noby Markose, Niranj Suresh, Sonu Sebastian, Noby, Ajay Mathew and Mareena Michael in major roles. All the actors get equal screen time and they all manage to make a mark. Their camaraderie off-screen has clearly reflected on their performances. The supporting cast includes Saiju Kurup, Renji Panicker, Ponnamma Babu, Nandu, Kottayam Pradeep and Dinesh Pranbhakar.

The movie caught audience attention even before its release thanks to the cameo roles by director Gautham Vasudev Menon, Tovino Thomas and Vineeth Sreenivasan. All three of them appear as themselves with Tovino doing an extended cameo of sorts.

Technically, cinematography was fine with the colourful visuals capturing the vibes of a campus life. The movie is kind of a musical with around eight different songs with the peppy ‘Tanka Takkara’ being the most enjoyable one.

Overall, Joshy Thomas Pallickal has delivered a delightful film with some fun moments that takes us back to our college memories. Unlike other campus movies, Naam can be enjoyed with families for the message it conveys is earnest and relevant.