22 Female Kottayam – Review

UTHARA NAIR

Cast: Rima Kallingal, Fahad Fazil

Direction: Aashiq Abu

Genre: Thriller

Music: Bijibal, Rex Vijayan

Camera: Shyju Khalid

Editing: Vivek Harshan

One of the movies from recent times I thought will write about is 22FK. Aashiq Abu kills this time and brings forth an improvised look at the new generation of films.

Rima Kallingal as Tessa is an ambitious nurse from Kottayam whose wish is to work in Canada someday. She comes across as a coy and traditional woman however determined enough to make it big in her career. In the course of applying for a Visa, she meets Cyril (Fahad Fazil), a travel agent. He agrees to help Tessa obtain a visa. In a series of events, the duo fall for each other and Tessa moves in with Cyril just ahead of two weeks of her travel to Canada.

In a strange turn of events, Cyril goes absconding after he got into a brawl at the bar with an influential guy. While Tessa is alone in the apartment, she is brutally raped by Cyril's trusted friend Hegde On his return after two days, he vows to kill Hegde. As she recovers and tries to reassure Cyril, the incident is repeated. 

As Tessa decides to put her travel plan on hold, she's stuck with a double whammy. Tessa is arrested for allegedly carrying drug packets in her handbag. At the prison, she becomes acquainted with a notorious criminal and her roommate Subaida (played by Reshmi Satheesh) who also happens to have a heart of gold. With her help, she finds answers to all the questions that were haunting her until then.. The clichéd rebirth scenes of a bolder and suave Tessa follow as she prepares herself to avenge.

The story offers plenty of surprises before giving way to the final surprise. 

In the film, Tessa’s approach to dating Cyril, who is indeed still a stranger to her, looks a tad questionable as we ponder about the safety of Tessa in such an arrangement. However, the script strikes a chord with the young audience with its sheer honesty. The woman in the picture looks credible and grounded and characters like Cyril and Hegde always exist in every society. This film also witnesses a thumping comeback for Prathap Pothen as an actor. Thanks to Pothen, I now realize there are other actors as well in the South who can speak English other than Prithvi Raj!! :P

Fahadh does a brave act by choosing to defer again from typecast heroes. A multidimensional actor, Fahadh adds depth and charisma to his character. There is a void created for the growth of a new generation actor in the Malayalam cinema, and if Fahad sees it as an opportunity to fill it, the sky is the limit for him.  And man, he’s in the right direction!

Finally, this is Rima Kallingal’s movie. As Aashiq Abu has said, if there’s anyone who could perfectly suit to 22 Female Kottayam’s requirement, it should be Rima. She portrays her character with unprecedented charm, depth, and seriousness. She easily slips into the role of the charming and vulnerable nurse and takes the audience on a surprise with the twisting turns of events in the film. Your best performance ever Rima, and as you had tweeted, 22 FK is your baby!

22 Female Kottayam music – Addictive, Fresh!

Outstanding music by Rex Vijayan. The theme song, Chillane Ponveyil by Avial, is upbeat and original with its signature blend of rock and Malayalam film music. Melle Kollum has a soulful rendition, steeped in romance with good lyrics.

The songs from the film are likely to live in my playlist for a very loooooong time! 

My verdict: Don't miss it! :)