Movie: 7th Day
Cast: Prithviraj, Janani Iyer, Vinay Fort
Director: Syam Dhar
Rating: Two and a half stars
Kochi: I dislike too much of light, says the '7th Day' protagonist, setting the tone. He's sharp and talks to the point, unlike many of the other characters.
An IAS officer (Prithviraj) accidentally bangs his car into a bike. Even before he takes Shan (Vinay Forrt) and his friend to the hospital, he finds something rather odd about their behaviour. He investigates. And discovers that a stash of cash, and a man, is missing. The case is solved on the seventh day.
The story is told using an excess of words. And an important clue is given away at the start. Crispness is not one of the virtues of the script.
Prithviraj is cool and cheerful. His is a character that requires him to simply display one facet of his own personality: the happy disposition. No roughness. No extra toughness. Not even a need to tighten his fists and take off his shirt.
Vinay does what he's best at: he puts on a painful expression and trembles like a nervous wreck. One of the finest actors to emerge from the Indie scene in recent years, he's reached a point where he's begun to drift into a stereotype. It's sad to see his usual sorrowful face, knowing very well the potential talent that he possesses. Before he breaks out it into versatile roles, though, he seriously ought to do something about his dialogue delivery. Presently, his characteristic accent gives him away much before his face is visible on the screen.
Sujith Vaassudev's signature is embossed on the images. A cinematographer who wants to be noticed, he takes a lot of care, in particular, with the placement of the lights and the cutters. And offers a pretty pleasure to the eyes. Without quite entering the realm of the cinematic.
The atmosphere of debutant director Syam Dhar's crime drama is dark and hazy. But the visuals say nothing.
