ORU YAMANDAN PREMAKADHA MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Oru Yamandan Premakatha, directed by B.C Noufal is a commercial potboiler that can be termed as the most mainstream film in the unconventional filmography of Dulquer Salmaan, where we get to see the actor playing a massier, fun-filled role that feels like a colourful diversion from the intense portrayals that are normally associated with his recent body of work. 

Oru Yamandan Premakatha (OYP) tells the story of Lallu (Dulquer Salmaan), a carefree, trigger happy youngster and son of a highly esteemed yet mildly classist advocate. Lallu teams up with his bunch of cohorts namely Vicky Peedia (Soubin Shahir), the visually impaired Tenny (played by Vishnu Unnikrishnan) and Paanchikuttan (played by Salim Kumar) as they scramble their way to find his perfect match, the girl who can ignite a "spark" in him so that Lallu's younger brother Paapi (played by Arun Kurian) gets married after him.

The film is much more than that. OYP does not stick to the storyline, and the wafer-thin plot is filled with a lot of breezy, idyllic moments. In some places, the film deftly captures the quirkiness that defines a small-town village. For instance, there is a tea-seller who is phobic towards calculations, two wisecracking wastrels and a fisherman who is yet to get his catch (and not to mention, the cacophonous father-son singer duo). There are plenty of such nutty characters and moments that make the world of OYP an endearing one.

Even the introductory scenes take it's time, by gradually establishing the characters. The lack of songs come as a great relief, and by seeing the earlier portions one can sense that the film does not try to make a commercial potboiler in a lazy, template-ridden manner. But the funny moments fail to be consistent. The quality of the film's humour becomes a mixed bag-some good (the scene involving Tenny's confession is the film's greatest laugh-out-loud moment), some middling and some jokes that fall flat, especially the xenophobic jibes thrown at Hindi-speaking migrants by the film's characters. The first half becomes really stretched because of the overbearing presence of comedy scenes that only works occasionally. One wishes that the interval point had happened a bit sooner.

Post interval, the film suddenly shifts from being a lighthearted comedy to a sappy melodrama. Then we get to see a subplot that completely goes against the tone of the film. The film goes downhill when it starts taking itself and the protagonist seriously. We get to see a one-note villain who twitches his face muscles so hard, just to conjure up the generic evil expression. The second half does have its fair share of breezy moments, like the scene where people re-enact yesteryear songs at a wedding. But the serious subplot involving a missing woman really plays spoilsport. As the film gets caught in newly formed plotlines, it completely forgets the moments and setups that were established in the first half (no one knows whether Paapi gets married or not).

Nikhila Vimal makes her presence felt in a role that vanishes as soon as we start rooting for her. The warm, saturated cinematography with lush greens and golden yellows add to the film's vibe. Dulquer Salmaan coolly picks the top honour for the charming presence he lends to the role. He delivers the heavy-duty mass moments and monologues with ease and least amount of effort. But the film could have benefitted from a lesser runtime, which makes Oru Yamandan Premakatha a tiring watch as the film is overstuffed with comedy scenes that are enjoyable only at some places.