'Charlie' review: In search of the free-spirited one | Charlie | Dulquer Salmaan | Parvathy | Martin

Cinema, a limitless medium, can touch you in ways only dreams can — you are only required to play by the book. And director Martin Prakkat has done just that in his latest offering Charlie.

He is bringing back Dulquer Salmaan as a maverick youngster in the movie — the way his fans identify with him. And the dialogues that drown in the reverberating slogan Kunjikka ki jai (hail Kunjikka aka Dulquer), tells that the director has succeeded in his venture; even before the first show of the movie began, the audience have declared Charlie a hit!

Martin Prakkat's Charlie (Dulquer Salmaan) lives by the famous quote Life salutes you when you make others happy by The Great Actor, Charlie Chaplin. Charlie the movie celebrates goodness and its karmic result — happiness.

The movie is straight forward and a fast-paced one. Tessa (Parvathy) a graphic artiste by profession who is bold, beautiful, smart, fearless and inquisitive by character, drives us to Charlie while trying to escape from her boring job and marriage trap set by her family. Tessa decides to move to a new locale and rents a house, which was earlier used by Charlie and finds a few things belonging to him that sets her off on his trail. What happens and how Tessa falls in love with Charlie drives the movie further.

Dulquer Salmaan is just perfect for the role of Charlie and wins hearts. Dulquer's acting is maturing from movie to movie and Charlie has sent him a level up, it is quite evident from how he escapes the temptations of overdoing as Charlie — the actor is perfecting the art of cooking a character to its crispy golden glow.

Parvathy has travelled worlds apart to become Charlie's Tessa from Moideen's Kanchanamala, yet there's no traces of any tiredness on her adaptation — she's fresh, bubbly and charming in Charlie.

It was nice to see Tovino and Aparna Gopinath with small yet pivotal roles that reminds us of the rocking ABCD team. Nedumudi Venu as philosopher lost in love, KPAC Lalitha as an inspiring grandmother, Soubin Shaheer as the comic and a baritone narrative by Chemban Vinod were like the icing on the cake. (Watch out for a Tamil actor's cameo).

Cinematographer Jomon T. John's breath-taking visualization along with the soulful music by Gopi Sunder teleport viewers from the theatre to the dream world of Charlie.

Sameera Saneesh, the costume designer, deserves a special applause for making Charlie all the more a colourful movie. Tessa's different set of slippers and Charlie's hippy kurthas would be the next trend amongst the youth after the black shirt-grey munndu-RayBan aviators trend set off by George of Premam.

Scenarist Unni R. has been successful in delivering a simple love story with perfectly blended script — if you find traces of protagonists from Unni's short stories in Dulquer's Charlie, then you are not to be blamed. With each passing characters, the film evokes a sense of curiosity which gives the you a feeling of watching a well balanced thriller. After Best Actor and ABCD, with Charlie Martin Prakkat meets and at times goes beyond the expectation.

Dulquer's Charlie is a simple, feel good film that will make you smile this festive season. Although not an out-an-out entertainer, Charlie has the elements to be tagged as a wacky entertainer, filled with all what is needed- celebration, surprises, patience, faith, care and above all love!

PS: The meaning of the name Charlie is 'free man'.

Rating: 3.25/5

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