Director: A.K.Sajan
Cast: Sharafudeen, Anu Sitara, Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Surabhi Lekshmi, Dileesh Pothan, Aju Varghese.
It’s the same old cliche of a ‘love story’. The persistent lover boy, who stalks the girl to the point she finally ‘falls for’ him; the sincere girl first rejects the lover boy’s proposal hoping her long-lost love to return, but obviously develops feelings for the stalker seeing the pain he takes to follow her.
Neeyum Njanum is also a love story, but portrayed with a few new elements. The boy in the scene is Yakub Muhammad (Sharafudeen) and the girl he falls in love with is Hasmi (Anu Sithara), whom he meets as a part of an investigation involving Hasmi’s Maoist brother. Yakub resigns his job as a police officer as Hasmi doesn’t like cops. Both of them get married and the responsibilities of a married man take Yakub to Dubai, where a series of incidents happen, affecting Hasmi back home. One night, a meeting with Shanu (Siju Wilson), for whom Hasmi had feelings while in college, brings a twist to the tale.
Director A.K. Sajan, though has tried to bring freshness to the film, has a plot susceptible to cliches — moral policing, politics, and religion. But in no rush to incorporate too many elements in the story, the makers have limited the premise, keeping the audience wait for long for a new development.
Sharafudeen, in his first movie as lead, has tried his best to deliver a decent performance — mixed with a little humour and poise. The actor, who has been stepping out of his comfort zone of late, has managed to convince the audience that he is here to stay. Anu Sithara has lived up to the expectations and has done a good job. The supporting cast, which includes Aju Varghese, Siju Wilson, Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Surabhi Lakshmi and Dileesh Pothan has done a job worth mentioning.
The music is by Vinu Thomas and the songs are already topping the playlist, which makes Neeyum Njanum a musically relevant movie. Visuals by Clinto Antony are like a cherry on the cake. On the whole, Neeyum Njanum is a one-time watch.
