Ariyippu movie review: Mahesh Narayanan’s minimal approach doesn’t mince emotions in Kunchacko Boban’s intense drama

3.5/5

Story: Malayali couple Hareesh and Reshmi, who work in a medical glove factory in North India, endure the hardships that come with the job and the unfamiliar territory, as they put all their efforts to leave the country for a better life. However, after a scandalous video surfaces, their personal and professional lives are strained. Will they make it out of the predicament together?

Review: In one of the scenes in director Mahesh Narayanan’s latest directorial Ariyippu, which is currently streaming on Netflix, the film’s female protagonist Reshmi (Divya Prabha) puts a batch of medical gloves through a pressure test. The ones that are of low quality fail the test when optimum pressure is applied, and so the supervisor asks her to lower the pressure to ensure that the gloves don’t break. In a succeeding scene, another officer spots her wearing a ring against rules at the workplace. Reshmi in her broken Hindi, tells him it doesn’t come off and, in a way, she’s stuck with it. Both these scenes have bigger implications, with regard to Reshmi’s relationship with her husband Hareesh (Kunchacko Boban).

The duo endures the hardships of working in a factory in North India, away from their home in Kerala and overcoming language barriers, to realise their dream of leaving the country for greener pastures. It’s during one of their attempts for a visa that they decide to shoot a skill video in the factory, which somehow gets leaked from the agent, and a clip of a sexual act is attached with it and circulated. This scandalous video soon has huge ramifications on the couple’s careers, dreams and most importantly, their mutual trust.

Also read: Mahesh Narayanan: The onus is on OTTs to ensure that theatres and streaming services co-exist 

Unlike his previous films C U Soon and Malik, Mahesh choses to go minimal with this intense drama that focuses on how its protagonists react to the high-pressure test in their lives, especially when they are already going through trials and tribulations. And the result, thanks to some brilliant performances from its lead actors, makes it an intriguing watch, despite the lack of any cinematic additions. In fact, the filmmaker even uses music sparingly but it never makes the film any less engaging because of the smooth flow of events. The pacing, probably because it is made keeping in mind a festival release, is tepid at times. But this also serves as a reminder to the audience of how the two are inching ahead one day at a time and when the dam of emotions break, the impact is felt multi-fold.

Kunchacko Boban as Hareesh is spot on with his performance as a man, whose frustration with his circumstances is evident in each of his actions and expressions. As the troubled Hareesh, the actor gets to show an array of emotions as he fights his imaginary demons and transitions from a husband to just another man in the society. Divya Prabha as Reshmi exudes a strength to push ahead despite the trying circumstances. Even her body language and how she walks show her will to move on and not dwell too much on what has happened, unlike her husband.

Even though it addresses the moral compasses that go awry in stressful times, Ariyippu also highlights the importance of identifying what’s crucial in a relationship – unyielding support and trust. Mahesh, through his writing, successfully conveys this, through his gimmick-free directorial. Sanu John Varghese’s frames as well as the supporting cast led by Kannan Arunachalam, Kiran Peethamabaran and Loveleen Mishra further aid in making Ariyippu a compelling watch.

Verdict: Ariyippu might not be an easy watch but it’s surely one of those movies that make you feel glad you watched it as its takeaways stay with you, long after the credits roll.