Cast: Prithviraj, Nazriya, Parvathy, Ranjith, Maala Parvathi
Director: Anjali Menon
Anjali Menon’s films give a guarantee that you will leave the theatre with a smile. Koode keeps up with this tradition and may even be a step ahead of her recent movies. The story revolves around the lives of Joshua (Prithviraj), Jenny (Nazriya), Aloshy (Ranjith), Lilly (Maala Parvathi) and Sophie (Parvathy).
The story begins with Joshua getting a call from his father to come home immediately. Joshua has been working in Dubai since the age of 15 and shows little attachment to his family; he has reasons for that. He struggles to come to terms with his time there and plans to return soon. It is then that Jenny starts intervening in his life. Though he finds her pestering in the beginning, the journey with Jenny changes his life forever.
Koode is Joshua’s journey of self-discovery; a voyage to regain his lost emotions, relationships, love, happiness and put his dreary past behind. Prithviraj as Joshua sparkles throughout the movie. His restrained acting brings Joshua to life in every frame. There was a Prithviraj we used to miss after movies like Ayalum Njanum Thammil. Well, Anjali has used his potential to present a brilliant act on screen. Without Jenny, Joshua wouldn’t have been this magnificent. Thanks to Nazriya, if not, Jenny wouldn’t have been this bubbly and compelling. Jenny is a tailor-made role for Nazriya. Neither Anjali nor the audience could ever imagine someone else doing the role.
Parvathy has limited screen space in the first half, but becomes a formidable part of Joshua’s journey in the second half. Though limited in the number of scenes, their chemistry is something to be in awe of. Ranjith and Maala Parvathi as the lovable, kind parents leave some touching moments for us. The supporting cast — of Pauly Wilson, C.R. Rajan, Atul Kulkarni, Devan, Roshan Mathew, Siddharth Menon and others — deserves applause for their portrayal. Anjali is a director who stresses on detailing and it can be seen throughout the movie, right from the setting of Jenny’s room and the van, to the small scenes that make us smile wholeheartedly. Zubin, who convincingly portrayed the younger Joshua (both in looks and act) deserves a special mention along with Brownie (Jenny’s pet), for being an inevitable part of the film’s journey.
Five persons need to be credited along with the director. Littil Swayamp for the picturesque visuals, Arvind Ashok Kumar (Production Designer) for bringing the film to life, Praveen Prabhakar for the unperturbed cuts, Raghu Dixit and M. Jayachandran for the soulful music, which took us along with the film.
Littil Swayamp, with his second outing after Parava, has delivered some eye-catching visuals, which enhance Joshua’s journey. The film is all about relationships — that touch us and leave us teary-eyed with emotions.
Anjali has always succeeded in moving the audience’s hearts with her stories; this time she takes us on an emotional journey. As the title suggests, the film and its characters will reside with you, always.
