An eccentric Basil Joseph stars in a fun Jeethu Joseph film | ‘Nunakuzhi' movie review

Jeethu Joseph’s latest outing ‘Nunakuzhi’ is not the kind of movie you would expect from a filmmaker whose forte is crime thrillers and emotional dramas. A comedy caper is probably the last genre you think Jeethu would attempt after pulling off a sensitive and powerful drama like ‘Neru’.That said, Jeethu is not a novice when it comes to making fun films. His 2012 comedy drama ‘My Boss’ was a huge hit and also earned a fan following with its laugh-out-loud moments. Though ‘Nunakuzhi’ starring Basil Joseph, Grace Antony and Nikhila Vimal does not follow the conventional style of comedy he employed in ‘My Boss’, it is still fun and delivers some hilarious moments, thanks to its effective storytelling style and dialogues.

K R Krishna Kumar, who collaborated with Jeethu for his previous films ‘Kooman’ and ‘12^th Man’, has handled the script quite convincingly. Basil Joseph plays Aby Zacharia, the MD of ‘Poozhikkunnel’ group of companies. He is pompous and refuses to show any interest in the company’s affairs. His eccentricity lands him in trouble and he resorts to desperate measures when his ‘personal’ laptop is seized by the income tax official played by Siddique.
The film is essentially a comedy of errors with the protagonist making up one lie after another to get his laptop back. In another part of the city, a married woman Rashmi (Grace Antony), who is humiliated by her husband’s lawyer while seeking a divorce, sets out to take revenge. Do they meet? And if they do, what next? This makes for an interesting narrative. What effectively starts as a normally-paced film picks up speed and eventually becomes a roller-coaster ride, sometimes bumpy, yet intriguing.

What is impressive is how the makers effectively and convincingly interconnect each situation, without leaving any room for loopholes. This is probably why the film felt lengthy in the second half. The film’s strength also lies in the performances of all the actors. Basil Joseph is pure gold in this film. His mannerisms will remind you of his character Rajesh in ‘Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey’, but he also manages to pull off a Jagathy Sreekumar in the road-to-hospital scene. Nikhila Vimal joins Basil Joseph again after Vipin Das’s ‘Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil’, but this time, she plays his wife. Though her role is limited, she performs her part well. However, it is Grace Antony, whose performance will blow your mind. Siddique, Manoj K Jayan and Baiju Santhosh also do a good job in the movie.