'Ajagajantharam' movie review: A power-packed action feast

'Ajagajantharam' is like that musical percussion that reaches its crescendo during the Pooram festival, making us rapturous. It takes you on a nonstop joy ride and you just don't want it to stop. Headlining Antony Varghese and Arjun Asokan, the narrative pitches you right in the middle of the annual Pooram festival, replete with majestic elephants and plenty of fireworks.

The story unfolds in the backdrop of a village celebrating its annual festival. This is also the first time the villagers are witnessing an elephant being paraded at the festival. The narrative picks momentum when a minor clash escalates into an ugly mass fight and the situation soon spirals out of control.

You have Lali (Antony Varghese), the most temperamental of the lot, who gets into a fistfight at the snap of a finger. In fact, it is a common occurrence at every public function. If Lali is around, rest assured you can witness a brawl. Lali has a close buddy, Pappan Ambi (Kichu Tellis) and when he finds himself joining Pappan and the elephant at the festival, all hell breaks loose.

Some of the characters' names are really quirky—Pindi (Sudhi Koppa) is a small-time thug who gets into a fistfight with Lali on the first day at the festival. Apparently, Pindi is part of the village’s most notorious gang led by Kannan. And Pindi wants his gang to help him exact revenge against Lali. He badly needs to trounce Lali. That very night, Lali and Ambi indulge in an ugly fracas with Kannan and the gang.

Will Lali and Ambi manage to dodge the trap set up by their rivals in the village? How the blazes are they going to flee with their elephant from the army of men coming after them with explosives, swords, and mortar? Soon it drifts into a fast-paced survival thriller, keeping the intrigue and excitement intact.

The narrative keeps you on toes, with not a single dull moment. Despite a wafer-thin plot, Tinu and the writer skillfully manage to keep you riveted on the screen. It is quite a task to craft an action film in the backdrop of such a humongous festival, crammed with people. Everything looks superbly realistic—be it the milieu or the elephant.

The production design is so ingenious and realistic that it will be difficult to separate the real elephant from the dummy elephant (apparently, they have used both a dummy and real elephant for the film) as the fight scenes suggest. Very few graphics have been used in the film.

The last 25-minute stretch is spellbinding. The one who stole the show has to be the glorious tusker Nadakkal Unnikrishnan who plays Neisheri Parthan. Look out for Pepe’s scintillating action stunts, especially the one where he steps over the tusker’s head and somersaults before a fight. Supreme Sundar’s choreographed stunts brilliantly imbibe the local flavour.

The film isn’t merely about such mad fistfights, there are various characters in the story. Be it the villagers, mahouts, festival committee members, and the drama artists who find themselves unceremoniously stuck in the middle of this mayhem. But it's also true that the characters are mostly underwritten. Kichu Tellis and Vineeth have scripted the film.

Superb making, stunning action sequences, throbbing background music, robust folk songs make 'Ajagajantharam' engrossing cinema. The sheer energy it generates on screen is almost irresistible. A lot of elements have contributed to the film’s energetic storytelling—be it Justin Varghese’s background music, Jinto George’s frames, or Shamir Mohammed’s sharp cuts. George brilliantly captures the essence, hues, and wildness of the festival and the folk beats. A special mention to the exquisitely framed night shots.

Antony Varghese as Lali has to be the scene-stealer. It was especially impressive to watch his fluidity in action scenes, lending him a mass appeal. Arjun Ashokan as Kannan was another cracker of a performance, underlying his versatility as a performer. Other actors include Kichu Tellus, Sabumon, Jafar Idukki, Lukman, Vineeth Vishwam, Sudhi Koppa, Vigilesh, Rajesh Sharma, and Bito Davis.

With a running time of 120 minutes, 'Ajagajantharam' is an exhilarating package headlined by men high on testosterone fighting it out in the backdrop of festival firework, in the company of tuskers. This is exactly the dose of high voltage fun you needed right now.