July 4

Cast: Dileep, Roma, Devan, Siddique, Cochin Haneefa, Salim Kumar, Lakshmi, Mangala, Riaz Khan, Santhosh Jogi, Anil Murali, Innocent, Pavan, Sarath
Language: Malayalam
Banner: Aalvin Cinemas
Director: Joshi
Producer: Aalvin Antony, Suku Nair
Camera: Shaji
Story: Uday Krishna, Sibi K Thomas
Screenplay: Uday Krishna, Sibi K Thomas
Dialogue: Uday Krishna, Sibi K Thomas
Lyrics: Vayalar Sarathchandra Varma
Music: Ouseppachan
Distribution: Aalvin Cinema Release
Year: 2007

Dileep seems to have a very bad luck with his lucky day releases for the last couple of Years. Like Pandippada of the last year, this year's July release 'July 4' too is a little disappointing action adventure. Joshy and his script writers Sibi k Thomas - Udayakrishna has  tried to make it racy, giving you no time to think,  but as story moves on from twists to twists , the audience did expected a much more worked out climax. And devoid of this climax chills, the film seems like offering nothing after peeling off a big onion. The writers have liberally borrowed the plots of many Hindi and Tamil films of the 80's and 90's, and has succeeded in making it interesting as it lasts, but as we are just out of the hall, we feel a sort of emptiness with nothing to cherish
 
Following all the lucky Joshy films of the 80's, this one too starts in a prison, with   a very crooked police officer, a former ACP, Ramachandran assuming the charges as the superintendent of the Central Jail. After a briefing about the jail inmates by the jailor Naarayanan Potty, Ramachandran finds Gokul Das, who is serving a three-year term for stabbing a police officer. He is to be released soon, for his good conduct on July 4th.As Ramachandran starts to beat Gokul Das brutally, we realize that, Ramachandran had taken charge of the jail in order to settle some old scores with him. The flashback unfurls as Das narrates his story to the jailor Potty, why the bad cop Ramachandran is after his blood.

The story is then told in episodic manner, where, Gokul Das as a child has to see his mother raped and killed by a police officer in a police station. He then teams up with some other boys and takes revenge on the police officer.  Then they flee to Mumbai, where they become criminals, constantly at clash with the cops. As a new Anti Terrorist force comes up to eliminate the goonda gangs, they break up and Das takes shelter in the family of a close friend, Gopalan who is a taxi driver. But the police, who followed him, trace their hideouts and the following encounter results in the death of the innocent taxi driver. This changes the attitudes of Das, who then opts for a peaceful life in Coimbatore as a taxi driver, looking after his friend's daughters.

One day he meets a young girl Sripriya at the airport, and after a bit of twists he finally lands up in her house. Her father Viswanathan, a business tycoon finds the talkative guy interesting and offers him a job there as a driver and from here things take a new turn. After the engagement of Priya with Unni, the son of Ramachandran Das takes Sripriya for an examination in Coimbatore. But on the way back, they are chased by a gang of three toughies, who in the previous night had tried to break into her bedroom. Gokul Das and Sreepriya have to abandon the car and are on the run in Valayar forest, with the gangue after them. As they are forced to spend a few days together, they develop a liking for each other. But they don't expects that  a lot of    disheartening  things are in store for them in  and outside the forests , as the film  quickly turns into a thriller .The film which proceeds with interesting turn around at regular intervals , but couldn't survive it to the last sequences which invites some booing from the audience.
 
Dileep gives a good and sincere performance to live up to the role, but the same cannot be told about Roma who plays Priya. Both seem to share no screen chemistry and that seems to be the biggest downfall of the film as we are not invited with interest to think about their life together. The actress definitely looks stunning and is admirable as a doll in newer outfits. Siddique is in a tailor made role as Ramachandran, the bad cop, who is a little asthmatic and reminds you of the Amitabh Bachchan of 'Khakhi'. Innocent as the jailor Potty also gives an inspiring performance totaly away from his usual maneuvers. Devan, Vijayaraghavan, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, Cochin Haneefa, Riyas Khan and Mangala are strictly ok in their walk in roles.

As usual with the Joshy films, this one too seems perfect in technical sides with Shaji providing some awesome visuals behind the camera. Ranjan Abrahan has packed the film racy with his sharp cuts while Joseph Nellikal in Art department also does an impressive work. The film has four good songs by Ouseppachan, but suits too little to the mood of the movie. ‘Oru vaakum mindaathe’ is the pick among the songs which are all choreographed in regular patterns of a Dileep movie. The film can be termed as a well-made movie, which has its moments but fails to impress in its totality.

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