Vivekanandan Viralaanu review: Women run the show in Shine Tom Chacko’s messy family entertainer

2.5/5

Vivekanandan Viralaanu story: Vivekanandan leads two lives, feeding his sex addiction, misogynistic ego and insecurities. The women in his life continue to suffer in silence and unable to bear his atrocities, they take a drastic step to teach him a lesson. Will they succeed and will Vivekanandan face the rightful repercussions?

Vivekanandan Viralaanu review: While Malayalam director Kamal's Vivekanandan Viralaanu may not live up to the calibre of his excellent earlier films, it addresses a societal topic that the Malayali audience may find to be quite forward-thinking. With female characters ruling the show and the titular character functioning as the antagonist in a figurative sense, this movie is not your typical family entertainment.

The film opens with a glimpse inside the life of Vivekanandan, a government official who is a womanizer and continuously mistreats his wife in bed. Along with living in a small village in Idukki with his spouse and child, he also has a live-in partner in Ernakulam, where he works. Aside from them, Vivekanandan persistently flirts with any lady he encounters and every now and then imagines having intimate moments with them.

Also read: Shine Tom Chacko: Good screenplays give birth to unique characters with scope to perform 

Unsurprisingly, despite everything, he maintains a different reputation among his friends and the locals as a good family man. In the meantime, his victims' silence feeds his confidence, and he continues to commit sexual harassment on them. Eventually, they are compelled to make an unexpected move in order to reveal Vivekandan's true identity and teach him a lesson.

The makers have effectively communicated two distinct aspects of a societal problem - extramarital rape and consentless sex in this film. They have also adequately addressed the topic of moral policing, which is highly pertinent in the modern world, and the significance of identifying psychological issues and getting treatment for them. Vivekanandan Viralaanu explores the skeptical perspective of our society while making judgments about the idea of a live-in relationship or discussing sexual preferences.

Also read: Shine Tom Chacko poses with his ‘girlfriends’ in second poster of Vivekanandan Viralaanu 

Shine Tom Chacko was the ideal fit for the role of Vivekanandan, with a good performance bringing in his nefarious attitude, which is similar to several previous roles he has played. Still, the film's female characters—Swasika and Grace Antony in particular—run the show. Even with less screen space, Johny Antony nonetheless adds enough emotional components to the film.

Even though the first half may keep viewers interested, the second half often drags them in with a lag and less intriguing scenes. The second part of this film may also fall short of the expectations of viewers because the filmmakers emphasised the satirical aspect more than the narrative, for instance, their mockery of the association for men who enthusiastically welcomed an alleged sexual perpetrator out of prison.

Overall, Vivekanandan Viralaanu had a solid opportunity to explore a few pertinent topics in a compelling way, but the makers were unable to give the screenplay a strong structure, making it worth even for a one-time watch.

Watch Tejas, Expendables 4, Australian Open, Cubicles 3, and more on OTTplay, by subscribing to the Jhakaas monthly pack, which provides access to 22 OTTs at just ₹49 for the first month. 

Vivekanandan Viralaanu verdict: The film might disappoint viewers who expect a Kamal magic on big screen or an ideal family entertainer.