Angamaly Diaries Review : A stellar ride around Angamaly

Even when Malayalam cinema is galloping towards 50 and 100 crore movies, one question that has been constantly asked by the movie buffs of the State is, when will we get to see raw and realistic movies like Subramaniyapuram, Aaranya Kaandam and Soodhu Kavvum. And we have finally found the answer in Lijo Jose Pellissery’s latest movie Angamaly Diaries.

As the name suggests, the movie is a few chapters from the lives of natives in Angamaly. Vincent Pepe (Antony Varghese), the protagonist leads a happy youthful life with his friends and booze just like any other youngster. The movie traverses through three phases in his life. Pepe discontinues his studies to start cable business. Later he joins his friends and they together start pork meat business. At a point when everything seems to be going well, a particular incident happens that turns his life topsy-turvy. Rest of the plot is about how Pepe and his friends overcome the hardships.

Lijo Jose Pellissery is someone who has weaved magic on screen right from his first movie. Angamaly Diaries is another feather in his cap. Lijo has wonderfully captured the culture and nativity of Angamaly and the locals in the region. The movie’s climax is the icing on the cake. Hats off to the team for pulling out an eleven minute shot with over 1000 junior artists. That particular sequence is a one of it’s kind experience in theatres.

Chemban Vinod’s writing has once again reiterated the fact that script is the real hero in a movie. His solid screenplay is the backbone of Angamaly Diaries. Girish Gangadharan’s apt cinematography, Shameer Muhammed’s seamless editing and Prashanth Pillai’s scintillating score and songs, all together rolls out a wonderful theatrical experience. Make up and costume designing deserves a special mention as their incredible work makes sure that we never get the feel of watching a movie.

All the newcomers in the movie are promising talents and have a bright future ahead. Antony Varghese who played the protagonist and all those who played his friends- Sreekanth Dasan, Ananthu, Vineeth Viswam, Kichu Tellus, along with the actors who portrayed 10 ml Thomas, Kunjooty were all excellent to say the least. A special mention to Tito Wilson and Sarath Kumar who played the villain roles of u clamp Rajan and Appani Ravi respectively. They have successfully broken the stereotype villain concepts with their earnest performance.

In a nutshell, Angamaly Diaries is a must watch. So grab your tickets for the next possible show.