Surprisingly malayalam directors are now obsessed with short english names for the films and last year there was a deluge of movies like Thriller, Cocktail, Traffic, Anwar, Pranchiyettan and Saint, Living together etc. Also the malayalam movies witnessed a change in the patterns of malayalam movies made - urban, slick with stylish hollywood style visuals and of shorter duration which had found the groove with the new generation malayalam audiences. The success of 'Cocktail' and 'Traffic' testifies the same. When I read about good reviews of 'Cocktail' first followed by 'Traffic' at a later time, I unitentionally mixed up with the names. So I initiated the download of 'Traffic' thinking that it was 'Cocktail'. But I am not complaining because 'Traffic' was superior than any of the recent malayalam releases.
Traffic (2010)
Traffic:-
The first and foremost reason why I loved 'Traffic' was its episodic format of story telling. I always find intresting seeing a same incident in various perspectives and the emotions attached with the subjects who see it from their point of view. That's the reason I like 'Vantage Point', 'Rashomon', 'Vedam (Telugu)'. 'Traffic', even though follows the same narrative structure, is original and not inspired by any Hollywood movies. What works in the favour of 'Traffic' is the high emotional current that flows throughout the movie.
The story, which was inspired by a real Chennai accident', takes place on a fateful Sep 16th, where the lives of Rehan (an aspiring journalist), Siddharth (the biggest star of malayalam cinema), Sudevan (a constable who rejoins duty after a suspension for taking bribe) and Dr. Abel (whose wedding anniversary is on that date) and how life takes a different route for everybody connected. All the protagonists have their friends and relatives on whom they make a difference to. An young lady drives fast to dodge the hooligans hit Rehan in an accident and in the same traffic signal Abel finds his wife cheating on him. Siddharth's big budget movie 'Ishwar' is released that day and Sudevan resumes his duty. The accident turns the life upside for everybody.
I don't want to give away the story because I would recommend you to watch this movie. One of the near loophole proof script which Indian cinema had recently witnessed can easily be this 'Traffic' scripted by Bobby - Sanjay. There is no hero / lead in this story. Everybody takes the lead the moments they appear on the screen, even if they do for a moment. Example - Sudevan's wife & daughter who have a screem time of a couple of minutes. Considering the mammoth starcast of recent times, every character gets a screetime as the role requires.
1. Vineeth Srinivasan, as Rehan - refreshing to watch him onscreen
2. Sandhya, as Adithi, Rehan's divorcee girl friend - emotions/ drama is her forte
3. Asif Ali (Harish - An actor to watch for)
4. Saikumar (Rehan's dad - his eyes overshadows the words)
5. Fatima Babu (good grief onscreen)
6. Kunchacko Boban as Dr. Abel - got his act right after a decade
7. Ramya Nambeeshan, as Abel's wife, who is at her glamorous best
8. Srinivasan, as contable Sudevan, is superb as usual
9. Rahman, as Superstar Siddharth, who intially throws weight and later squirms as a helpless father
10. Lena as Siddharth's wife gets the meatiest lines of the female casting.
11. Anoop Menon, as the Police Commissioner is a revelation with an amazing & string screen presence.
The cinematography by Shyju Khalid and background score by Mejo gives the movie an international sheen within the budget constraints of malayalam cinema. With a running time of 115 minutes, no unnecessary song / comedy routines, 'Traffic' will definitely satisfy the apetite of a discerning movie viewer. Go for it!!!!
