In his 300th movie, Mukesh appears in the titular role of Philip. Also, this is the last movie of late actor Innocent.
A poster of the film 'Philip's'. (Supplied)
Philips (Malayalam)
Feel-good films are always welcome as they also act as a stress buster. Debutant director Alfred Kurian Joseph’s Philip’s is one such movie that offers some lighter moments. At the same time, it’s a tearjerker too.
Philip’s marks the 300th movie of Mukesh. He appears in the titular role. It is also the last movie of late actor Innocent.
The film is based on real-life incidents.
Philip leads a good life with his three children in Bengaluru. However, an untoward incident changes their lives. How the family overcomes the situation forms the crux of the story.
Philip and his children live in Bengaluru. His elder son Basil (Noble Thomas) is an IT professional who aspires to move to New Zealand.
Blessy and Bitty are the daughters.
‘Philip’s’ is produced by Little Big Films. (Supplied)
Philip loses his wife in a car accident. He never drives his car after that.
Basil has a girlfriend and likes to be with her. Philip wants his son to take up family responsibilities.
Bitty dreams of becoming a chess player, but Philip is not willing to get her trained.
Blessy is interested in skating and has little interest in studies.
The script by Alfred Kurian Joseph and Mathukutty Xavier has a lot of humour. Mukesh and the late actor Innocent contribute a lot to the comedy scenes.
There are some lighter moments by Philip and Mani (Innocent), a close friend of the former.
Till the interval, the movie offers some lighter moments through situational comedy.
But the twist in the story comes when Bitty meets with a serious accident and is in critical condition.
Philip faces a financial crisis and is unable to meet the medical expenses. He files a case against the people who are responsible for his daughter’s condition.
How do Philip and his children cope with the situation? What happens to Philip’s strained relationship with Basil? — are shown in the second half of the movie.
The major takeaways of Philip’s are the presence of actors Innocent and Mukesh.
This is the last movie of late actor Innocent who passed away on 28 March this year.
Another major takeaway is how the theme is taken care of.
The movie has two extreme parts — the first half and the latter half.
The tragedy Philip and his family face is written and shot well. The emotional trauma of the family leaves the audience in tears.
The songs by Hesham Abdul Wahab set the mood for the movie.
The movie, which is less than two hours long, covers every emotion of all the characters.
Ancy (Asha Madathil), the mother of Basil’s girlfriend, initially gets worried when she finds out that her daughter has a lover. However, she is relieved after learning that it is Basil that her daughter is in love with.
There are many such little things that debutant Alfred Kurian Joseph captures and presents on the screen beautifully.
‘Philip’s’ is directed by Alfred Kurian Joseph. (Supplied)
Mukesh is the star performer of the movie. The veteran actor excels both in comedy and serious situations.
His conversation with his children in the first half evokes laughter. At the same time, he is angry with his kids.
There is a scene in the hospital where Philip loses control after learning about Bitty’s accident.
While discussing the marriage proposal of his son, he is willing to go ahead but is also confused. He expresses these emotions just through his eyes. His counter-dialogues in other scenes are also good.
Noble Babu Thomas, as Basil, performs well. This is his second movie after his debut flick Helen (2019).
Navani Devanand and Queen Vipin, as Blessy and Bitty respectively, are too good.
Asha Madathil, as Ancy, gets a good character. Despite a few scenes, she leaves a mark.
Innocent, as Mani uncle, gets good screen space and a meaty role in the film. His scenes with Mukesh and other actors leave an impact on the audience.
A collage of scenes comprising the popular roles played by Innocent is shown at the end of the film as a tribute to the actor.
Philip’s has an impressive story that equally celebrates grief and joy. It is a must-watch, especially for the Mukesh-Innocent combo.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
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