1744 White Alto review: A cleverly-written, well-presented dark comedy from Senna Hegde

1744 White Alto is set somewhere in a deserted landscape in Northern Kerala. A fight results in the injury of a man. The police discover that the men involved escaped in a white Alto.

Scumbag Vijayan’s car gets swapped with that of Ebi and Kannan, two small-time crooks. A cat-and-mouse chase begins as Inspector Mahesh and his squad follow closely behind.

The plot is substantial enough. It’s about the snappy dialogue and the gags. Despite being silly, it is also funny as hell!

There are a dozen more important characters like Mahesh’s wife, mother, Vijayan’s wife, and sister-in-law who guides the story further. Each character brings something to the table.

Remarkable execution

1744 White Alto is a black comedy-crime movie directed by Senna Hegde. He ventures into the less-attempted genre and nails it completely.

It is a chaotic yet fun-to-watch film. The execution is remarkable.

There are many noteworthy moments, dialogues, characters like the three police constables who always stay together, and the likes of Ebi and Kannan — played by Rajesh Madhavan and Anand Manmadhan, besides the main lead Mahesh played by Sharafudheen.

The whole cast makes the movie quite rewarding in terms of laughs.

Director Senna Hegde’s previous movie Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam (2021) was an outstanding work, where all the actors were totally fresh.

In contrast, 1744 White Alto has actors who can deliver comedy well.

Brilliant actors

Sharafudheen, who is rising as a strong actor, delivers another impressive performance. Look at how he was in Priyan Ottaththil Aanu and Rorschach!

Various characters get ample opportunities to shine, and the actors playing them never miss the mark.

Still, it is Rajesh Madhavan and Anand Manmadhan who hold the movie most of the way. The whole story revolves around them, and their characters are well-developed.

Then there is a gang of three police constables who induce hysterical laughter, time-to-time. There are other brilliant performances, too.

The standout has to be Sajin Cherukayil. He is fabulous to watch, like in Thinkalazhcha Nischayam or Super Sharanya.

A hilarious watch

Even though small incidents are interconnected childishly, they create a crisp, enjoyable narrative. As a whole, the movie serves its purpose.

This film is not all wall-to-wall gags. Instead, very clever and often very subtle humour runs throughout the film.

The sequence just before the climax attack is uproarious. That’s my favourite.

Every setup the clever and hilarious script creates has a fantastic and satisfying payoff.

Overall, 1744 White Alto is a dark comedy cleverly written, well-presented, atmospheric, and intelligently absurd. It is great in its own right.