Release Date : April 07, 2023
123telugu.com Rating : 2.5/5
Starring: Soubhin Shahir, Arjun Asokan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sajin Gopu, Siju Sunny, Afzah P H, Abin Bino, Jagadeesh Kumar, Anantharaman Ajay & others
Director: Jithu Madhavan
Producers: Johnpaul George, Joby George, Girish Gangaradhan
Music Director: Sushin Shyan
Cinematography:Sanu Tahir
Editor: Kiran Das
Related Links : Trailer
Malayalam film Romancham which became the talk of the town is currently streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar in multiple languages. The movie, based on true events, was directed by Jithu Madhavan. Let’s see how the movie is.
Story:
The film is about seven bachelor friends who live in a house in Bangalore. One is employed, while another tries his hand at every business but keeps failing. Two crack an interview but are yet to get the offer letter. One works at a petrol pump. The other two just enjoy their lives without doing anything. One day one of the friends gets interested in the Ouija board (Spirit board) and requests his friends to play with him. The others initially don’t show interest but later agree to play. The rest of the film is about the weird moments that happen to the seven friends after playing with the Ouija board.
Plus Points:
The casting was superb, and every actor did a very good job. Someone who lives with friends separately can relate to the film due to the actors’ neat and natural performances. But the best among all would certainly be Soubin Shahir. His simple yet impactful performance is the major highlight of Romancham.
The second hour has a few engaging scenes thanks to the performances of the actors. After the entry of Arjun Ashokan, the movie turns a bit engrossing. Arjun Ashokan’s weird expressions and neat performance evokes decent laughs. There are a few subtle comedy scenes that are nicely executed.
Minus Points:
The main problem with Romancham is the lack of engaging narration. More time is taken for character introductions, and the main story actually begins at the 45th minute. The entire first hour is very bland, and it needs a great amount of patience to watch the film. The scenes about the spirit board are boring. This part isn’t funny or exciting at the same time.
After having watched the impactless proceedings for one hour, one would generally expect the plot to take a significant turn in the second hour. But there isn’t anything great that happens regarding the plot in the second half too. The actor’s performances and their antics become the saving grace, but it is very evident that the plot is wafer-thin.
Touted to be a horror comedy, the movie doesn’t have any horror elements as such. The ending is left abrupt, only to have a sequel to the film. The editing is bad, as the film moves at a snail’s pace for the most part.
Technical Aspects:
The background score by Sushin Shyan is just about okay. Sanu Tahir’s cinematography is decent. The production values are good. The editing team should have trimmed many lag scenes in the film.
Coming to the director, Jithu Madhavan, he did a below-par job with the film. He also is the writer for Romancham, but unfortunately, his writing isn’t great to keep one invested throughout. The best part was getting good actors on board. The director tried to overshadow the flaws in the film with the actors’ performances but couldn’t succeed completely. At times it was visible that the makers tried too hard to generate comedy. More importantly, there are no Romancham (goosebumps) moments in the film.
Verdict:
On the whole, Romancham is a film that doesn’t live up to the hype around it. The actors’ performances and a few moments here and there make the movie a tolerable fare. Apart from that, there is nothing great to rave about it.
123telugu.com Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team