Dear Friend - Not Everyone's cup of Tea

 

Classmates, Notebook, Friends, Mumbai Police, NPCB etc. Malayalam cinema has seen different types of friendship movies and Dear Friend is just another experience.

 

 

The film is directed by actor Vineeth Kumar and scripted by Sharafu, Suhas and Thanmatra actor Arjun Lal(what a comeback, hope he stays) who also plays an important role in the movie.Shaiju Khalid's impossible frames which didnt seem to be a Malayalam movie, and Justin Varghese's background music that went with the story remained excellent.

The film introduces us to a group of 6 friends living in Bangalore who are very close to each other and spend most of their evenings together. The guys of the group work out their ways to find a proper investment for their start-up idea. One fine day, a member of the gang goes missing which leaves the remaining 5 friends in confusion and tension.  

It has an interesting storyline about friendship presented with a mystery. The first half gives a feel good experience, where the second half will take you through a personal emotion which most of us have experienced.

Tovino Thomas showcases an impressive performance playing Vinod who could be part of one's life as a friend who touches their souls and become an unforgettable human.The character Vinod will definitely be in the top 5 roles of his career.

 

Everyone did their job pretty well. Basil Joseph was a comic relief, Darshana Rajendran was impressive(as usual), Arjun Radhakrishnan's performance as Shyam seemed very convincing.

 I must say Cinema rarely portrays the grey side of friendship and Dear Friend definitely succeeded in doing that. Its slow (and thats the beauty of it), its not a nail biting even though the team tried a few a thriller effects here and there.

Friendships might fade away as we grow older with time and we'll be okay without them. There is no cheating or intentional cut off because we all get busy living and we change. But here in the film, Vinod ain't a person like that. He is a mysterious conman who just wants a temporary shelter for the time being. But from his POV, he says that he hasnt hurt anyone or cheated anyone for money. Instead he was there with them when they needed them the most, gluing them together, touching their souls and spreading happiness.The climax that didn't take us anywhere will be remembered and regretted.And that is what excited me as it broke all stereotypes.A special thanks for ending the movie without making it a cliche, giving the audience a space to think.You cannot show reality more realistically. Because reality is neither good nor bad.. its neither black nor white..Thats Life!!!

If you enjoy movies that leave you stuck for a while after the end credits roll, movies that make you read between the lines, solve some puzzles on your own and don't spoon feed every single thing to you. Movies that do not give you the ending that you expect and if you are ready to take that then do miss this one.

 

Dear Friend is an interesting take on friendship which unfortunately might not find a lot of takers since it's a rather unorthodox film. But its team deserves kudos for creating a movie that feels very real and is not designed to feed its audience with feel-good stuff!!!

 

 

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