SonyLIV has returned with another Malayalam gem titled Innale Vare. Written and directed by Jis Joy, the story for the film is by Bobby and Sanjay. Mathew George serves as the producer with Bahul Ramesh as DOP and Ratheesh Raj as Editor. The background score for the thriller is by 4 Musics.
The cast for the film stars Asif Ali, Nimisha Sajayan, Antony Varghese, Reba John, Irshad Ali, Rony David, Sreelakshmi and Athulya Chandra. The thriller crime drama has a runtime of 2 hours and 16 minutes.
– SonyLIV’s Innale Vare Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
Innale Vare: The Hunger for Money is Misleading
SonyLIV has always taken a strong initiative in bringing forward good quality Malayalam cinema to our screens. With recent releases such as Bhoothakalam, the OTT platform does not shy away from testing its audience. Innale Vare is yet another release to hammer that nail. Jis Joy’s latest release is a concentric noir thriller and, very different from what we know him for, like the 2007 emotional drama Sunday Holiday. Through this film, Joy brings us moral ambiguity in humans while testing the waters to generate thrill.
Innale Vare features an insecure snob of a movie star called Adhi Shankar (Asif Ali). Adhi’s personal and professional life both are in turmoil when luck turns its back on him and he ends up getting kidnapped by two tech-savvy strangers- Sharath (Antony Varghese) and Shani (Nimisha Sajayan). The strangers hatch a plan to crack a fraudulent deal as they keep Adhi kidnapped and try to cover up for his absence by keeping his social media and virtual image alive.
As the story progresses, new shades come out to tie the lives of our two strangers with the kidnapped movie star and, it is not long before we are left with some shocking revelations concerning the motive of the crime and the real people behind it all. Innale Vare threads on the line of being a hostage-thriller as well as serve as a cautionary tale for cybercrime.
Also Read: Jaadugar: Jitendra Kumar’s Magical New Netflix Drama Gets a Release Date!
The narrative of the film is really engaging. There isn’t one moment from the start when you don’t feel shifting towards the edge of your seat waiting to know more. The script also has finesses when it comes to examining the boundaries human beings would push out of the need and greed for money. However, as much as the story wraps us in with one act after another, it is the feeling of detachment one might feel towards our characters that makes it underwhelming at times.
It is not until the final act that the audience is left with the opportunity to sympathize with the characters. For most of the film, the characters are not humanely fleshed out enough for investment. Although their ticking moral dilemma is of utmost reliability and leaves us with a touch of philosophy.
However, it is really the performances in Innale Vare that keep you hooked to the screen until the last moment. Asif Ali and Nimisha Sajayan are effortlessly talented and this movie just adds another feather to their cap to prove so. As for Antony Varghese, it was a pleasant change to see him play such a different character than what he is used to and does the job quite well.
Innale Vare: Final Verdict
With an engaging story, interesting characters, crisp cinematography and editing, Jis Joy has offered the audiences a piece of dark thriller that is reflective and cautionary with its various themes. Although the plot does not burst with twists and turns at every instance, there are enough to capture you and the performances by the actors do the same. The film is an impressive step toward the noir genre and, it would be exciting to see Jis Joy present us with more such tales.
You can watch Innale Vare now on SonyLIV.
Also Read: Ms Marvel Episode 1 Review: Kamala and Her Fantasy World Receive a Cosmic Surprise!