Basheerinte Premalekhanam, the second movie of veteran filmmaker Fazil's son and young star Fahadh Faasil's brother Farhaan Faasil, was finally released on Friday, July 21. The romantic family entertainer tickles your nostalgia, taking the audience back to the time when television started keeping them busy upon its arrival from abroad.
Storyline of Basheerinte Premalekhanam
The movie is set in the early 80s in a village in Kozhikode and narrates the incidents that happen in the life of the villagers after a TV set arrives from Gulf. It is sent by Usman (Manikandan) to his would-be Suhara (Sana Althaf). But she falls in love with Basheer (Farhan Faasil), who arrives to arrange the TV set. How their love blossoms with the support of her grandmother (Sheela) form the crux of the movie.
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Critics comment on Basheerinte Premalekhanam
"Basheerinte Premalekhanam narrates a love story with the background of an extremely interesting and novel premise that offers enough room to revel in nostalgia. Just that it isn't engaging enough to make you feel for the lovers or their story," according to the Times of India.
"While Basheerinte Premalekhanam tickles our sense of nostalgia to an extend - everything from the Doordarshan jingle, Nirma advertisement to Chitrageetham finds a mention here - the milieu in which the plot is set looks very fabricated," reads the review on The New Indian Express.
"At certain points, the movie isn't even about Basheer and Suhara. That aimlessness and the sort of track comedy feel some of the subplots have ruined the structure," says reviewer at Lensmenreview.
TOI on Aneesh Anwar's directorial
Aneesh Anwar is known to try refreshing themes for his movies and here too, he has managed to bring forth an interesting backdrop to the film – the arrival of television in our villages. When you watch the excitement around it, one can't help being on rewind mode for a while and think about how the little box was a source of joy for numerous families, once upon a time. The movie showcases those days well enough, though the expressions of many characters seem forced at times. The film does have a few sequences that stand out, but the rest of the week proceedings blow the impact away.
The movie doesn't have the heart-warming quality of a love story and if you want to check out the film, watch it for the dose of television nostalgia.
More about performances by Lensmen
Farhan Faasil who made his debut in Njan Steve Lopez was an apt choice in that film as his inherent innocence was something that suited a character like Steve. But here almost all the characters are caricatures. And the actor in him is struggling hard to attain that level of eccentricity. Sana Althaf is a pretty face and her expressions were also lovely. But when it comes to dialogue delivery she fumbles. Joy Mathew's typical Calicut slang helps him in being that character and same was the case with Kanaran Hareesh. Sheela's old school acting wasn't that convincing. The elaborate cast has names like Manikandan Achari, Madhu, Indrans, Sivaji Guruvayoor and many others who were all okay in their respective characters.
Basheerinte Premalekhanam is a wannabe romantic comedy with very less romance and a lot of unbaked comedy. It won't be a test of patience due to the fair enough pace it has, but because of the same pace it won't stay in your heart.
What it didn't work well, according to The New Indian Express
Though it offers a beautiful canvas for some great humour, Basheerinte Premalekhanam lets us down because none of the characters, of the umpteen ones, get much space or scope to perform. As for the lead character, the biggest flaw is their apparent lack of chemistry. Well, one can't blame them really because there is little in the script dedicated for 'love'. A few coy glances and a song later, their romance story ends, making way for the next pair.
With a vintage tale and simple lives, Aneesh Anwar aimed to create a feel-good flavour here. We only wish it had been more engaging and funny.
