The Problem with ‘Varshangalkku Sesham’

Beyond the nostalgia and references to their fathers’ movies, what more does this Pranav Mohanlal- Dhyan Sreenivasan starrer offer? Is the cinema compelling enough to intertwine a tribute to Cinema and a tale of two friends?

Personal Opinion. Spoilers Ahead!

Vineeth Sreenivasan’s feel-good drama movies have always been known, and widely accepted by the audience for their heartwarming moments and musical storytelling. Even his thriller drama film ‘Thira’ had these aspects working well, accounting for its celebration even now, despite its box office failure. And the expectations were the same for his recent movie ‘Varshangalkku Sesham’. But unfortunately, the film falls flat on many points, making it a dissatisfying watch.

Vineeth’s protagonists, in his previous works, always had a solid core and arc. Consider Arun from ‘Hridayam’. His journey from an innocent college first year to a mature man in his 30s is narrated convincingly. This made Arun a relatable character to almost every man watching the movie, at least at some point. The same is the case with his characters from ‘Jacobinte Swargarajyam’, ‘Thira’ and others. But this element of characterisation falters in ‘Varshangalkku Sesham’.

Let us take the examples of the protagonists Venu (Dhyan Sreenivasan) and Murali (Pranav Mohanlal). Both of them appear to have great respect for each other’s craft and have a deep understanding. But with such a strong bond, how can a person like Venu develop a huge attitude change altogether, even before the release of his debut directorial? Even though Cinema is a mystical world which can change people’s mentality, a sudden change in this intensity, that too to a close friend along with whom Venu started his film journey didn’t add up well. At least his change after a thumping, blinding success would have translated to the screen more organically.

In ‘Hridayam’, there was a point involving an iron box and the character Darshana. That was a scene where director Vineeth Sreenivasan stepped out of his zone and focussed more on the darker side of his character’s internal dilemma. A very interesting parallel can be drawn to a scene in ‘Varshangalkku Sesham’, involving Murali, Indradhanush (Kalesh Ramanand) and a cassette. The scene is staged in an excellent manner involving a staircase- two people at its two ends. When one tries to step up, the other tries to step down. 

The dilemma between choosing one’s inner calling and desire for success/appreciation was etched out to near perfection. Despite Murali saying that music direction in films is not his area, his wish to succeed is what humanises him. These are one of the few sequences where Pranav Mohanlal’s acting felt good, and the emotions connected well. The remaining scenes of Pranav felt either unconvincing (almost every scene set in the 2020s) or a repetition of his earlier works. Long, grey hair and beard are not enough to convincingly portray a man in his 70s. There are several elements in Pranav’s performance, including his body language, mannerisms and voice modulation, which loudly said that this is a man in his 30s with a wig and make-up. But on the other hand, Dhyan’s performance worked well throughout the timeline, and in the character’s multiple variations.

Even though the film tries to establish the friendship between Venu and Murali as a soul connection, it fails to do so. Consider the scene when a drunk Murali lands at the doorstep of Venu’s house. The script wanted an emotional plot point to separate the two friends. But for that, the scene should’ve gone deeper into both of their selves; where one is too tired of his achievements and is on the verge of success, while the other is too tired of his setbacks and is on the verge of his failure. Other than through dialogues, additional layers like a focus on Murali’s inferiority and insecurity would have contributed more. Anyhow, the lack in these scenes was covered up by the ‘Nyabagam’ track. Especially the line ‘Oru Murai En Pizhai Maranthu Nee Vanthidu’ is a perfect blend of dilemma, internal conflicts, guilt and grief, which should’ve been otherwise contributed by Pranav’s performance.

There are instances of warmth, but many of them don't cross the screen to the crowd. In the present, when Murali leaves the studio after composing every single work for Venu’s movie ‘in paper’, the latter says that it is the apt work for his movie. To match a director’s vision of how music elevates a movie, not only must the music director (who is, again in exile) have a deep knowledge of music, but also a deep bond with the director. Apart from the music and dialogues, there is little that adds to this supposed bonding. Moreover, how can a soul friend leave the other, when the film is crucial for both of them? If it was intended to not break the character, it is disappointing to say that neither the character arc of Murali nor his friendship with Venu works to the intended level.

Vineeth's scripts, except 'Thira', have always had a romantic angle to any of the protagonists. The same repeats here, but the love interests of both the heroes are reduced to characters with minimal contribution to the movie. The love tracks, especially the Pranav-Kalyani combination felt completely underused, and at times, unnecessary. These female characters are used as mere tools for plot convenience. Be it Annie (Kalyani Priyadarsan) or Radhika (Neeta Pillai), both of them get conveniently re-introduced into the movie when the plot is in crisis. How easily a new producer is arranged, how randomly a wife's sickness leads to the reunion of two friends! 

Neeta Pillai only has a little screen time or even dialogue, but she did her part as per the script's demands. Kalyani's performance took one step down with every scene she appeared in the movie. Apart from the charm the character initially required, her screen time felt like an extension of her previous films. Her acting spectrum was limited while playing her character's 20s. Hence, there is no apparent need to speak about Annie's 70s. Both Annie and Radhika have incidents in their lives that could add to their depth; both involving sexual harassment and mansplaining they had to face. But the script just touches it, and either leaves it there or spoofs it. It is completely the creative freedom of a director to portray events in the way they wish to. But it feels worth mentioning that the issues that were dealt with trivially by the writing are the harsh reality for half the globe. 

Whatever the genre of a movie, each of them will have a cinematic universe. For most movies, it will be evident to the audience in the first few minutes into it. Every moment from then will only add to that world, and it mustn't contradict what was built earlier. This is not just restricted to the story and logical setup, but also in the overall mood of the movie. Vineeth's previous films too had their cinematic worlds, which didn't fall apart till its end. But here, everything went well within the world, until the card 'Written and Directed by' was first shown in the climax. The apparent death of one of the two friends, along with the flashes of memories worked to an extent; but then the 'dead' came alive and the laughter that followed couldn't be digested. It simply broke the universe; when the audience started getting emotionally detached from the movie, the movie forced them to sit down for a few more minutes.

Towards the end, it felt that the director was confused as to where to conclude the film in his style- in the nostalgia element of the Mohanlal-Sreenivasan era, the success of the film, a tribute to cinema, or as a tale of friendship dynamics between the protagonists. Sadly, the film couldn’t excel in any. The script was running between these elements in the climax, leaving the viewers in an impatient discontinuum, where they too wish to somehow wind up the movie. 

The movie finally ends with Pranav and Dhyan recreating the iconic pose of their fathers from ‘Nadodikkattu’. A line from the song ‘Jeevithagaadhakale’ plays as the score there: ‘Kara Kaana Kadalala Thaandi’, again a reference to a song from ‘Nadodikkattu’. One can see Vineeth’s attempts to make it a heartwarming watch, but the film ultimately becomes a disappointing mashup of disconnected emotions, unlinked sub-plots and flawed nostalgia attempts. It is not the worst film you can see; it has its moments, good performances from Dhyan Sreenivasan, Nivin Pauly and Basil Joseph, and the soulful ‘Nyabagam’ song that tries its level best to emotionally elevate the audience. Despite all this, the movie which had so much potential, ended up as the weakest film in the directorial ventures of Vineeth Sreenivasan.

Written by Aswin Asok Kumar
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