I'm sure it would be a bit too
much to ask for a story with
some logic thrown in, when the
makers of a film take upon
themselves the task of making
people laugh their guts out.
Comedy, thus becomes an excuse
for illogicality, and in 'Kunjaliyan',
its more of an excuse for making
an incredibly silly film.
The details of the story that the
film tells are best left unexplored.
Seems like Jayaraman (Jayasurya)
used to be a youngster who has
never managed to be in the good
books of neither his three sisters
(Bindu Panicker, Resmi Boban &
Tesni Khan) nor their husbands
(Vijayaraghavan, Jagadeesh &
Ashokan). .
His fortunes go for a spin
however, when he loses his job
in the Middle East. His bosom
buddy Preman (Suraj
Venjarammoodu) writes to his
family, that Jayaraman has won a
Dubai lottery of 50 Crores, and on
his return to Kerala, Jayaraman
finds an entire village excitedly
waiting for his arrival.
Just as I was wondering , how
an entire village could be fooled
into believing that a man has
won a lottery and become a
multi-millionaire, along comes
the (only) sane person in the film,
Maya (Ananya). The girl having
realized Jayaraman's ploys, asks
him for the lottery ticket, and I
heave a sigh of relief.
The rest of the village however
seem to have gone nuts. Take the
Panchayat President (Harisree
Ashokan) for instance, who
roams about in a truck hollering
announcements regarding the
grand reception to be accorded
to Kunjaliyan Jayaraman. He
makes even casual conversation
through the mic!
Kunjaliyan's family is no better
when it comes to sanity. The
three sisters and their husbands
are no ordinary village pumpkins,
and they try to excel each other
in moronic behavior. There is
Kunjaliyan's uncle (Maniyanpillai
Raju) too, whom we are told
roams about with a 'double
barrelled' gun. Phew, some fun
indeed.
And around half-time, the picture
becomes complete with Preman
himself arriving in all grandeur,
having lost his job as well. And
with Suraj around, can loudness
be far behind? It all gets so
cacophonic after a while, and
amidst all this chaos, an odd joke
or two springs up here or there.
That's it.
Towards the end however, there
is talk of environmental pollution
and an upcoming poison factory
and all that, and a bunch of
scheming villains who look like
they have potted plants inside
their skulls instead of brains. The
menace is strictly limited to their
grim faces; the minute they open
their mouths you wonder if they
are making you laugh
intentionally or otherwise.
'Kunjaliyan' is more of a chore
really, and what's missing in it
are several things - plausibility,
surprise elements and above
everything else, some good,
classy humor. Not my idea of a
fun outing, this. VERDICT: NOT TOO MUCHU TO SAY
