{mosimage}Logically speaking, this movie should be one of the earliest movie reviews I should have written, because it is a movie that was instrumental in turning me towards malayalam movies for a wholesome sensible entertainment. Niram has a sweet memory associated with it. It is the first movie I went with Preetha in Coimbatore. It is the movie that made me literally fall in love with Kunchacko Boban and Vidyasagar, skyrocketing them to my all-time favourites. It is the movie that introduced me a master movie maker - Kamal. Above all it is the first VCD of my personal VCD collection. A sad thing associated with this was a good bye movie of my favourite actress - Shalini.
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{mosimage}Niram, colourful as its title, is set in urban posh Christian families of Ernakulam and majorly shot there itself. Ebey Zackariah (Kunchacko Boban) and Sona Jacob (Shalini) are neighbours, close friends who share a deep bond of friendship including their birthday. Notorious they are and fun loving, attract Varsha (Joemol) and Prakash Mathew (Boban Alamoodan) respectively. At a week of Sona's absence, Ebey feels his love for her. Sona returns back only to tell him the Prakash's proposal, which prompts Ebey to hide his feelings & intentions and goes as a messenger between them. Sona starts feeling the drift between them after she had fallen in love. At the time about marriage was to happen, Sona unable to bear the very thought of getting separated asks Ebey why he hadn't fallen in love with her, so that they could have married and lived together always, leading to a tear jerking climax.According to me this movie worked mainly because of the chemistry between Kunchacko Boban and Shalini, nothing else. There was a warm camrederie between them on screen. You can check it in every of their frames. Even if the scene was others, in the background Kunchacko Boban and Shalini used to make all sort of naughtiness, which you might miss at the first time, but will catch up interesting in subsequent viewings. As per the story they share a same Birthday and same age. Both looked equally aged and in this case I take Kunchacko's side. He looked so innocent and cherubic with his charming childish face. All the lead players looked perfect for their parts. If Kunchacko and Shalini were bubbly, Joemol showed that longingness in her eyes and body language throughout the movie. Only guy left out was Boban Alamoodan, because had his part extended or given importance, it would have affected the whole movie.
The support characters cast selection was also mind blowing. Devan and Bindhu Panikker as Shalini's parents while Lalu Alex and Ambika as Kunchacko's were picture perfect. Kovai Sarala as Tamil maid instigating the love in Kunchacko Boban was bit loud in the Malayalam standards but she was enjoyable. Especially her reaction to the Babu's "Shukriya" was hilarious. In fact the word "Shukriya" itself had become a vital role in the movie.
