Varathan Review: Riveting thriller with a terrific ending

Fahadh Faasil is in that phase of his career where the audience do not expect anything regular from him. His latest outing, Varathan looked highly promising from its intriguing posters and trailer. When Fahadh joins hands with Amal Neerad after the widely acclaimed Iyobinte Pusthakam, expectations are multifold. Let’s see if they’ve managed to live up to that.

Nothing much about Varathan’s plot can be revealed as it has a very wafer-thin storyline. It is the story of a UAE based couple Aby and Priya. Due to some problems in their professional front, the couple take a break and visit Priya’s ancestral property at Wagamon. This is where the real plot kick-starts. Anything more will end up as spoilers, so let’s not go there.

Amal Neerad is someone who has always put more emphasis on the technicalities and making side rather than the depth in the subject. In Varathan also its the same but the end result is completely satisfying for a commoner. Even with a simple plot, the director has managed to bring out something extraordinary with his finesse in execution.

After a very ordinary slow-paced first half, the movie takes a different trajectory in the latter half and towards the climax, it has some highly memorable sequences. Both the lead actors, Fahadh Faasil and Aishwarya Lekshmi had meaty roles to perform. The latter especially was up to the challenge of matching up to Fahadh and on the course proved that she is not just another one film wonder. Sharafudheen was another actor who had a crucial part to play and one can easily say that it’s his career best.

Technically, Varathan, like all other Amal Neerad films, was top-notch with brilliant cinematography by Littil Swayamp and eerie compositions by Sushin Shyam. Vivek Harshan’s stylish editing paved way to several ‘mass’ moments.

Overall, we can easily say that Varathan has lived up to the expectations or say exceeded it. If you’re patient enough to sit through the initial few portions, a real treat awaits you, especially in the last 30 minutes or so. This Fahadh starrer has more than enough elements to be enjoyed on a quality big screen.