Appan review: An intense family drama with riveting performances

The story of Maju’s latest film Appan is set in a small village. Sunny Wayne plays Noonju, a rubber tapper, in it. He resides with his parents, wife, and son.

Within a couple of scenes, we find that he, his family members and also the villagers are awaiting his father’s death.

His father Ittychan, paralysed from the waist down, was and is a vicious womaniser who tortures abuses, and harasses his wife. The villagers plot to murder him.

Reminds us of Irakal and Joji

Written by R Jayakumar and the director himself, Appan starts like another version of Joji. No, it is not Macbeth. The reason is entirely different here.

To my mind, the film bears a comparison with KG George’s Irakal and also Dileesh Pothan’s Joji, but in a positive way and in many parts, including the location, the house, and the central character.

The script is as good as the other flicks. The text is dense and the dark humour is too good.

Throughout the movie, all the actors are truly riveting. Alencier Ley Lopez as the cruel and poisonous Ittychan walks away with the film. He is so devoted to his role.

Sunny Wayne encapsulates the character as perfectly as you can get. He was so pure and emotionally complex. Ananya, in particular, is truly awesome as Noonju’s wife Rosy. Pauly Valsan plays Ittychan’s wife Kuttyamma to perfection.

Radhika Radhakrishnan, who plays the role of the sex-worker Sheela, is incredible at playing an extremely complex character. The rest of the cast is good, too.

Maju presents an intense story

We can see a strong writer and director in Maju, especially in a few powerful scenes and in some characters during the emotional outburst of Kuttyamma, and Sheela’s scenes with Ittychan.

Maju’s Appan is presented and directed with a strong sense of intensity and darkness. It is a well-paced and quite deliberate flick.

It’s a sumptuous meal for the fans of KG George cinema and Shakespearean stories. It’s vital to pick the perfect time to watch it because it’s not an easy movie.

The locations were superb, and hugely dramatic, so fitting to the subject.

It has an interesting cinematic style, by using a slow pace, to capture the emotions of the characters.

The movie’s amazing cinematography is accompanied by minimal and haunting soundtracks. The music was powerful, supporting the dark lines, and subtly giving the scenes more impact.

Verdict

Appan is a pace-controlled thriller drama along the lines of the recent Joji, Kaanekkaane and Aarkkariyam. Overall, it is a gripping, intense drama with few wonderful performances. It’s streaming on Sony LIV.