Grrr movie review: Kunchacko Boban and Suraj Venjaramoodu deliver an enjoyable, light-hearted film

“Betrayal under the guise of love? Caste killing? Where is Rejimon Nadar?” asks a TV news anchor as the film begins, indicating that the protagonist has gone missing. In the initial scenes itself, director Jay, who co-wrote the script with Praveen S, makes it clear that caste plays a key role in the movie and unlike most mainstream films that “cleverly” hide or downplay the caste identities of the characters, the black comedy Grrr is going to addresses it directly. And so it does; the film clearly emphasises the caste backgrounds of all major characters and highlights the privileges enjoyed by the elite. Rejimon is a young entrepreneur who makes a living by manufacturing edibles in a small unit near his home. Rachana, on the other hand, comes from a well-off, elite family; her father, Iravi Kutti Pillai (Shobi Thilakan), is a prominent leader of a Leftist party. Haridas, meanwhile, hails from a typical Thiruvananthapuram Nair family, who have a portrait of Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the last ruling monarch of the Travancore kingdom, in their home. However, unlike old Malayalam films where savarna characters are automatically attributed noble traits, Grrr portrays them as grey-shaded, with Iravi being a cold-blooded, casteist politician and Haridas as a corrupt government employee.

At the start itself, Grrr establishes its tone and reveals that it is going to be a comedy-ridden ride. In a significant moment in the beginning, Rejimon is seen conversing with his friend Anas (Rajesh Madhavan) in a bar, where they discuss how Rachana “betrayed” him, while a misogynistic dialogue from the 1989 Malayalam classic Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha plays on the TV in the background. The film, around here, also reveals that Rejimon has previously cut his vein after his last relationship ended, emphasising his inability to handle rejection. These instances clearly define Rejimon’s character, aiding the smooth progression of the narrative.

Watch Grrr trailer here:

Through his interactions with his family, including his wife Mrudula (Shruti Ramachandran), with whom he is going through a rough patch, the makers quickly lay bare his character too. While the first act, dedicated to groundwork, does its job neatly, Jay quickly shifts gears once Rejimon enters the den, letting chaos ensue as more characters enter the frame. With the arrival of a batch of clueless firefighters, hapless cops, the zoo employees led by department superintendent Fauziya Fathima (Manju Pillai), and reporters who are going the extra mile to boost their TRP, the area indeed becomes the venue for a freak show.

However, despite these instances having significant potential to leave viewers in stitches, Jay and Praveen’s dialogues fail to hit the mark, with the comedic lines, especially one-liners, not working beyond a certain point. While the gestures of Kunchacko and Suraj do elicit laughter, the absence of well-crafted humorous dialogues is noticeable throughout, and the credit for the few successful jokes should rightly go to the actors and their delivery.

At the same time, the cluelessness of the writers in handling scenes outside the zoo, where events unfold in the lives of Rachana and Mrudula simultaneously, is quite evident. These instances lack substance and appear to have been superficially inserted to stretch the film to a minimum of 120 minutes. Despite being set in Thiruvananthapuram, not having a single character speak in their local dialect has also diminished the movie’s authenticity. Furthermore, apart from Rejimon and Haridas, the script fails to develop other significant characters such as their partners fully. The emphasis on caste politics, which Grrr highlighted at the start, fades away soon after, largely due to the nature of the narrative, and it only resurfaces sporadically when deemed convenient by the writers, which too has ultimately backfired. Even though the scenes in the den are as realistic as possible, they fail to deliver the expected edge-of-the-seat experience, in spite of their potential.

Nevertheless, the shortcomings are largely mitigated by the no-holds-barred performances of Kunchacko Boban and Suraj Venjaramoodu. Suraj’s ability to effortlessly generate humour from thin air proves invaluable, especially given the writing’s lack of strong comedic elements. Meanwhile, Kunchacko, for whom comedy has never been a strong suit as shown by his subpar performance in films like Mallu Singh, shines here. His portrayal of the drunk man hits the right note, avoiding any over-the-top or cringeworthy moments. Despite their strong performances, the movie, however, falters once the two are rescued from the den. After that, Grrr embarks on an aimless journey, struggling to find a good moment to end, which it ultimately fails to find. Manju Pillai too manages to leave a lasting impression, while Shruti Ramachandran demonstrates her comedic agility, even with a poorly developed character. Sibi Thomas, as the head of the firefighters, also succeeds in eliciting some laughter. Mojo, the lion, deserves special commendation for delivering a standout performance.

While Dawn Vincent’s background score is mostly good, it goes overboard at certain points, especially during absurd comedic moments. Sreejith Sreenivasan’s sound design enhances the movie, along with the impressive editing by Vivek Harshan.

Grrr movie cast: Kunchacko Boban, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Shruti Ramachandran, Anagha, Manju Pillai
Grrr movie director: Jay K
Grrr movie rating: 2.5 stars