'Vaashi' — A subtle legal drama that strikes a chord | Movie Review

Nothing in life is really black and white. Often our seemingly colourful lives are marred by shades of grey. 'Vaashi', starring Tovino Thomas and Keerthy Suresh, is a simple attempt at exploring such disconcerting trends, told from the perspective of two lawyers who also happen to love each other.

Ebin Mathew and Madhavi, the two lawyers, are trying to get a break in their career. Both squabble most of the time but fall in love with each other. Life gets complicated when they end up at two ends of a case that will determine their futures.

At the start, the story unfolds slowly but steadily, as if the debutant director, Vishnu Raghav, wanted to take his own time to familiarize us with the characters before positioning them on opposite sides. He has done a good job with that, giving ample space for Keerthy Suresh and Tovino Thomas to perform for them, so as to make us fall in love with their characters. The chemistry between the duo is also undeniable.

Unlike most Malayalam legal dramas, 'Vaashi' is more subtle. The treatment is also quite fresh. It does not focus on the courtroom alone, nor does it portray aggressive lawyers who tend to wax eloquently about social issues or incidents, just to get across a point. The case, which becomes the bone of contention for Madhavi and Ebin, both at court and at home, is also quite different from the ones that have been considered in Mollywood in recent times.

The makers of the film have done their bit to educate us about various aspects of a particular law, bringing in some relevant points from time to time. Though there is a lag in some scenes (probably due to the lack of drama in a few areas) and some loopholes in the script, the film is able to surpass these challenges, especially thanks to the excellent performance of the actors.

Keerthy Suresh is making a major return to Mollywood through this movie and her performance as Madhavi establishes she is a gem that needs to be utilised in the industry more, provided, she decides to stay.

Tovino delivers as the young and handsome advocate Ebin Mathew, who comes across as an easy-going yet professional lawyer, who is also a romantic at heart.  However, for an actor who has given us some impressive, jaw dropping performances, this is clearly not his best. It's fun to watch Baiju play the jovial advocate Satheesh Mulloor, a friend and confidante to both Ebin and Madhavi. Rony David as the shrewd businessman Jose also does a fine job, while the other actors Maya Vishwanath, Nandu, Kottayam Ramesh impress with their performances.

Though the sound effects are jarring at times, the songs by Kailas Menon and written by Vinayak Sasikumar are pleasing. Overall, 'Vaashi' leaves an impression on us, giving us some time to think about the case in point without forcing the subject upon the viewer.