Nine Review: An experimental film that’s worth a big screen experience

Prithviraj is an actor well known for his penchant for trying genres that have not been explored much in Malayalam. He takes conscious efforts to push the envelope and take Malayalam movies to a wider audience by doing universal subjects. A casual glance at his filmography, one can very evidently see that. His latest release ‘9’ aka ‘Nine’, which he is also producing, also comes under this category. The Jenuse Mohamed directorial grabbed attention with it’s intriguing trailer and promos. Let’s see if the movie delivers what it promised.

The story of 9 unfolds in the backdrop of a massive global event that lasts nine days. Albert, an astro physicist, reaches the Himalayas to research more about this phenomenon. A widower, Albert is accompanied by his 7-year-old son Adam and his team of assistants. While in the Himalayas, Albert and his son face unforeseen circumstances. What happens over this course of period of nine days and how it affects their lives form the plot.

Jenuse Mohamed has done a good amount of research to script this film. Careful dealing is given in explaining the aerospace and scientific terms so that a commoner can understand the proceedings easily. 9 is a kind of film that’s hard to bracket to a particular genre. It has elements of horror, psychological thriller and science fiction. It has several layers and concepts but at the core of all that is an emotional father-son bonding.

For a film like 9, lot depends on the technical aspects and I would like to say the makers have succeeded in this part. Abhinandan Ramanujam’s excellent cinematography, atmospheric sound design and Shekar Menon’s apt background score helps in creating a spooky atmosphere. On the down side, writing in the second half could have been better; especially the dialogues, which were too dramatic and sounded bland at many crucial moments.

Performance wise, the movie basically revolves around three characters – Albert, Adam and Eva. Prithviraj, as always, has done his part well except for the emotional scenes towards the end. It has to do with the melodramatic dialogues as well. Alok, the child actor, who played Adam’s character was impressive. The ‘Godha’ girl Wamiqa Gabbi with her expensive eyes was convincing while playing the mysterious Eva. Prakash Raj, Mamta Mohandas, Rahul Madhav and Adil Ibrahim are also part of the cast.

Overall, 9 is engaging in most parts and will certainly please those who wish to watch something unique rather than the regular mass potboilers or realistic dramas. It’s not often that films like these are made in Malayalam, so do support and watch it from theatres.