If director Sathyan Anthikkad had aged like fine wine, Rakshadhikari
Baiju Oppu (hereafter referred to as RBO) is what he would have come up
with. Regrettably he didn't and thankfully Ranjan Pramod, the script
writer of some Anthikkad's later movies has filled
the void.
The best thing about RBO is it seems so natural and light. The flow of
dialog, the ease with which characters appear or slide in and out of
frames, the sounds, the ambience, the effortless attention to detail
which in reality must have taken some effort and
all this put together and delivered as a well constructed entertainer
is commendable. Bravo!
And then there is Biju Menon - the king of reinvention in contemporary
Malayalam cinema, playing the title character Baiju. His journey from
the handsome, brooding, youngest son in Doordarshan TV series -
Mikhayalinte Santhathikal through emotional dramas like
Meghmalhar in the early 2000s to the man who found his funny bone in
Vellimoonga, Maroobhoomiyile Aana and RBO - has been like watching an
evolving chameleon in action. We are left to wonder what other colors or
characters would he comfortably grow and morph
into in the coming years.
The natural ease in direction is reflected in the performance of other
actors too. Aju Varghese, Deepak Parumbole and many other new comers who
play significant roles give the feeling that we are watching their
daily goings-on without a veneer of pretense.
I also loved the absence of dubbing as it helped in interring the
phantasm of the same female character's voice that used to come back to
grate you in every other film.
I started watching RBO with the expectation of a syrupy feel good movie.
It is a feel good movie but it is also comfortably real and
uncompromising without ruffling many feathers. There is not much of a
story and the only character introduced to create tension
(played by Padmaraj Ratheesh) is the only weak point in the
narrative.Nice work, Ranjan Pramod and a treat for the audience.
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