86. Aadhi; movie review

AADHI
Cert 12A
157 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, obscured strong language

It really is becoming a habit that every time Mrs W ducks out of Indian film in 2018, it turns out to be a good one.
Jeethu Joseph's Malayalam offering, which I took in at Nottingham Cineworld, pleasantly surprised me on a couple of counts.
Firstly, it is the debut of Pranav Mohanlal, the son of arguably the most revered star in Malayalam history.
I have always struggled with Mohanlal senior to the point that my last review of one of his films prompted a fair bit of criticism from his fans.
However, I was really taken with Pranav's first outing - which mixes tense drama and... parkour.
According to dictionary.com: "Parkour is the sport of moving along a route, typically in a city, trying to get around or through various obstacles in the quickest and most efficient manner possible, as by jumping, climbing, or running."
So, after he is wrongly accused of killing a gangster's son, Pranav escapes by.... running and leaping across, through and on top of buildings.
There is more to Aadhi than just a series of stunts. This is a riveting thriller in which Pranav is the central but not only figure.
It also stars Jagapati Babu as the gangster leading the chase of the title character and Siju Wilson as his sidekick who was, unknown to his boss, really responsible for his son's death.
Meanwhile, Sharafudheen plays a poor young man who takes in Aadhi when his life is being threatened.
Joseph's film begins quietly but builds into a high-quality thriller which kept me, and I suspect many others among the busy audience, on the edge of our seats.
And it leaves its best moments to a finale which is one of the most rousing I have seen among Indian films in a long time.
I would even go as far as stating that it is so good that it may mark a watershed for Malayalam films and may see the baton handed over from its veteran superstar to his son.

Reasons to watch: Tense thriller ... with parkour
Reasons to avoid: Finale is a bit too neat

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Director quote - Jeethu Joseph (on allegations of plagiarism): "I don't know anything about this allegation. The story of Aadhi came to me when I was studying in college."

The big question: Can Pranav Mohanlal be more successful than his dad?

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