Flash

Language : Malayalam
Banner : Mulakuppadam Films
Director : Sibi Malayil
Producer : Tomichan Mulakuppadam
Camera : Sajan Kalathil
Story : S. Bhasurachandran
Screenplay : S. Bhasurachandran
Dialogue : S. Bhasurachandran
Lyrics : Rafeeq Ahamed
Music : Gopi Sunder
Distribution : Mulakuppadam Release
Release : 2007 December 22
Cast : Mohanlal, Parvathy, Ponvarnan, Jagathy, Indrajith, Saikumar, Jagdheesh, Siddique, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Bijukuttan, Vineeth Kumar, Shamna, Sreelatha, Nisha, Ambika Mohan

One gets the feeling that people like Sibi Malayil should stop directing movies now. Not that the director who has given us many memorable films doesn't have the talent to make good movies. It is simply that the feel-good kind of movies that he has always specialized in making, seem to have few takers these days. Why else should Flash, which is not a bad movie at all, get loud booing when it ends?

It seems filmgoers in Kerala are themselves not sure of what they want to see. Directors like Sibi Malayil and their kind of films don't get much breathing space. Flash definitely is not a bad movie, though it has nothing spectacular to offer.

The film takes us into the life of Dhwani, a young girl who had been brought up in Chennai, but now studies in an engineering college in Kerala, staying at her dad's ancestral house, along with her grandfather, uncles, aunties, cousins et al. Her father Shekharan, who has his business in Chennai, frequently comes to see his daughter. There is a reason why Shekharan had decided to take his daughter to Kerala to stay at his ancestral house.

Dhwani sees her cousin Veena behaving rather intimately with the driver Balu. She loses her cool and questions her and even slaps her. Many in the household raise eyebrows at her, but her grandfather stands by her. Balu is questioned and when it's found that there is a romance budding between him and Veena, he is dismissed and sent away. But soon after there are other developments and Dhwani begins to behave rather queerly, just like Lady Macbeth, rubbing and cleaning her hands again and again and stating that the stains of blood cannot be removed.

She also starts applying for posts that don't match her qualifications. It is then that Priyan, who is her cousin and who also loves her, asks her to apply for a post in a company named Infinity Visual Magic. Their Dhwani meets Mithun Madhavan, who is the CEO of the company. Things take a new turn from there and it later turns out that Mithun Madhavan is actually a psychiatrist who has come to study Dhwani and cure her, on Priyan's request. More startling things follow.

Mohanlal does the role of Mithun Madhavan quite convincingly, in his characteristic style. Parvathy (of Notebook fame) as Dhwani too is good. All the others in the cast -Saikumar as Shekharan, Ponvannan as Dhwani's grandfather, Siddique as Circle Inspector Jacob Chandy, Indrajith as Priyan, and P. Sreekumar, Suresh Krishna and Jagadeesh as Dhwani's uncles have done their respective roles well. Jagathy Sreekumar as Sasi, also called Idea Sasi, who is Mithun's right-hand man, does his role in his usual style, but it seems the character could have been given a bit more prominence and it would have done more good to the film.

S. Bhasurachandran has done a good job with the script. Cinematography by Sajan Kalathil and art-direction by Prashanth Madhav are in tune with the theme and the mood. The songs don't have much appeal. In total, though the film is not outstanding, it is well made, well directed and well acted out, and doesn't deserve the booing it is getting.

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