Watusi Zombie! review: The Gen Z zany film screams new-age and how

Watusi Zombie! movie plot: The film revolves around a youngster named ‘Grindset’ Gabriel, a standup comedian, seeking to get back in the game. Amid a gig, he makes a statement against Rad Reggie that is erroneously wrong and poor Gabriel is left defending his ‘compliment’.

Watusi Zombie! movie review: Watusi Zombie has been entirely shot and backed by a team who are all below the age of 25, and that shows! For all its talk about realistic films, Malayalam cinema rarely gets the tone and even vibe of its younger generation. The older generation’s notion about how the youngsters behave ‘these days’ often gets translated onto the screen as was evident in several ‘modern woman’ portrayals we saw during the 2000s. But with a crew that is completely below the age of 25, Watusi Zombie! gets the lingo, accent and mannerisms spot on.

While watching the movie, written and helmed by Cyril Abraham Dennis, the conversations between the youngsters really hit you as real. One would actually feel they are among the younger crowd - the ease with which they talk and even swear feels authentic. Though a lot of the conversations are in English, the characters are all Malayalis, and they easily switch to the native tongue without any anglicised effect - another reason the film feels so rooted in today's times, despite the quirky story and zany making. Watusi Zombie!, which premiered at the prestigious International Film Festival of Kerala last year, only has a 1-hour duration and wraps up the story in no time. Once you get pulled into its freaky world and oddball characters, Watusi Zombie! grows on you and is a breezy watch. The film is not out-and-out hilarious but would leave you smiling from time to time, especially the star cameo of ‘Unni Mhukhundhan’ that I was expecting after reading after YouTube comments.

Abdul Ahad is perfectly cast as Grindset Gabriel, who genuinely looks the part. The supporting cast of Shruthi Vasanth, Diya Sara Santhosh, Sidharth Rengan and Saurav Suresh also do a clean job. DOP Rohan Muraleedharan’s frames, especially the wide shots, would remind viewers of some of the auteur films.

Director Cyril Abraham Dennis had earlier said that he was inspired by Jan Davis’ ‘Watusi Zombie’ track and named the film thus. The background score also adds to the eclectic tone of the movie, especially during the final moments.

Watusi Zombie! movie verdict: Watusi Zombie! is not your typical Malayalam movie. The youngsters narrate a quirky tale, without the pretensions of any deeper plot or connotations, but entertaining and engaging nevertheless. It is a new-age film by the Gen Z for the Gen Z, and they are bang on!

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