‘Ithiri Neram’ movie review: Roshan Mathew and Zarin Shihab ace in a deeply-felt conversational drama

All that two people who were eons ago the world to each other get, when they meet years later, is just a little while (’Ithiri Neram’) to spend together. Each word uttered between them carries with it the weight of their past and the mystery of each other’s present and the paths their lives have taken in the intervening years. In Prasanth Vijay’s third film Ithiri Neram, much has changed in the lives of Anjana (Zarin Shihab) and Anish (Roshan Mathew) from the last time they talked, yet when they meet, it is as if they never stopped talking.

It being the kind of film in which the flow of conversations dictate the flow of the film, the gentle manner in which the narrative progresses is a testimony to the dialogue writing as well as the sheer naturalness of the lead performers. It does take a bit of time for us to get into the groove of their exchanges, which turns more natural as they drop their initial reticence with every passing minute. Right from the point we are pulled into the world of this estranged couple with a lot of unresolved baggage crying out for closure, we are provided only a slight trickle of memories from their past.

The city remains pulsating in the background, as a carrier of their past memories and a witness to their present. Except for passages set inside a couple of bars, much of their interactions play out in the open. While in Rajeev Ravi’s Njan Steve Lopez, another film which managed to capture the soul of Thiruvananthapuram, one feels the hidden eeriness of the city, here we are left with a sense of longing for its familiar spaces.

The conversations play out deceptively in the initial half, making us wonder where the writer Vishak Shakti is intending to take this. At each turn, the film throws at us glimpses and possibilities of some familiar pathways through which the narrative could have progressed, be it the inevitable intervention of moral goons in the kind of situation they are caught in or that of a staid, melodramatic relationship drama. Or it could even just go on with the conversation, as some of the classic films of the genre have done. But to Prasanth’s credit, he does not take any of these familiar paths and takes us on a ride filled with tension and humour in equal measure, though the unexpected and quirky turn of the screenplay puts an end to the engrossing conversation. 

Although ‘Ithiri Neram’ is a bit more mainstream in its treatment compared to his previous films Athishayangalude Venal and Daayam, those elements inject some charm into the kind of story that this is. The songs by Basil C.J., especially the opening song reminiscent of Baburaj which ushers us into the film, go a long way in setting the mood. Parallel to the couple’s conversations happens the banter between Chanchal (Anand Manmadhan) and Rajan (Nandhu), who both are an important presence in Anish’s life as in the narrative. Without these four capable actors holding together the narrative, the film might have fallen apart.

With Ithiri Neram, Prasanth Vijay crafts a deeply felt conversational drama with an uncommon turn.

Ithiri Neram is currently running in theatres