In his debut film, Jaan. E-Man (2021), director Chidambaram S Poduval weaved a fascinating comedy layered with pathos. Male-bonding was a pivot to the narrative. In his sophomore outing, he persists with his fondness for male friendships, as he puts out a moving, engaging survival drama based on an incident real people have faced and overcome.
Manjummel Boys are a boisterous bunch hailing from different socio-economic backgrounds. They gatecrash into weddings, pick up a brawl over nothing, plan impromptu road trips, and believe in living life to the hilt. Most trips are spontaneous and conducted on a shoestring budget with a lot of booze and fun thrown in. That’s how they planned a Kodaikanal road trip as well. But the trip turned out to be nothing as they expected, as the narrative suddenly drifts into an edge-of-the-seat survival thriller.
Chidambaram, who has scripted the film, adeptly sketches the boys, lending them distinctive flavours. There is Kuttan (Soubin Shahir) the eldest and, therefore, the leader of the pack. You have two brothers who don’t always get along, one with OCD, one with extra-sensory perception, the one who is the sole breadwinner of his family, and a few others who are just fun to be around.
The portions featuring their bonhomie and brotherhood are correctly packaged and the dosage is measured. The buildup to the survival drama is smartly staged, aided by Sushin’s non-intrusive, yet folksy tunes. And yet, when it happens, you aren’t entirely prepared for it. The initial reactions when it happens are organic and almost faint. But once the reality sinks in, the narrative dramatically shifts its tonality and that’s when the emotional bits start to trickle in.
What primarily works here are the emotional knots that are casually seeded at recurring intervals. It’s been a while since a survival thriller has touched such poignant notes and here Chidambaram knows precisely which strings to pull to turn on the waterworks. The boys who till then displayed only irreverence suddenly stand up for their friend and it’s a heartwarming sight. Look out for the scene when they all nearly prostrate over the muddy water to protect their friend or in their abject anguish to save him. An iconic Kamal Haasan song is brilliantly placed to reiterate the beauty of friendship and compassion and that’s perhaps the most stirring moment in the film.
The bonding between the characters looks very lived-in and Soubin Shahir stands out with his subtlety. Special props to the production value and Shyju Khalid for adding flare to the drama with his immersive frames. Except for a few jarring needlessly melodramatic notes in the third act, Manjummel Boys, though not as spectacular as his debut is a moving ode to friendship.
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