There is a certain comfort when a movie starts off quietly, without making a big deal. Before you know it, Dear Friend has begun inside a house in Bengaluru where a few young people are making a mockery of their friend for his birthday, a tit for tat for previous mischiefs. Tovino Thomas, as the birthday boy Vinod, is soon out on the road wearing a hilarious superhero costume, with his underpants worn over it. The other friends are hooting and cheering along, till all of it ends badly and Vinod has an outburst.
By then, you are pulled into the world of this little gang, written with clear precision by the Sharfu-Suhas combo known for Virus, along with Arjun Lal, the actor who played Mohanlal’s son in Thanmathra. Arjun is part of the gang too, along with Darshana (playing Jenneth), Basil (playing Sajith), another Arjun (playing Shyam) and Sanchana Natarajan (playing the only Tamilian in the group). They could be just any group of young friends settled into the Bengaluru life, away from home, trying their luck at jobs, hanging out, partying. Vineeth Kumar, directing the film, has carefully chosen a cast to fit into this smooth setting that both relaxes and intrigues you.
It is relaxing in the way a story about friends could be. They are just living their lives and having their conversations. The occasional partying, the gathering at one home, the eating of Maggi all make you feel at home as stories spill out from seamlessly from one or the other person. You hear about families back home, watch relationships form without a fuss, and you are interested to simply follow what’s happening. But without wasting a lot of time, Vineeth and the scriptwriters take you away from that comfort zone and hand you a mystery. What appears to be a prank, easily believable of the gang presented to us, turns serious after a disappearance, leaving the friends reeling and clueless. Everything you had taken for granted about the plot and relationships turns into a question. The friends, who appeared to belong so well together like butter and bread, are forced to wonder what they really know of the other.
Watch: Trailer of the film
All the actors on board do a commendable job keeping you interested in every move of the characters. Basil is always the most flexible piece of the puzzle, fitting into any role so comfortably. Here he is the playful one, challenged by responsibilities back home. Both the Arjuns are wonderful in their respectable roles, one as the more serious entrepreneur and the other, a nice fellow who trusts easily. Darshana could hop from one movie to another like Mario, the video game character, leaving lasting images with every one of her roles. In a scene where she speaks in a soothing voice as a mental health practitioner, you wonder where you could find a real life therapist who could talk like that. And Tovino scores in keeping himself unpredictable with the roles he chooses.
Unobtrusive background music by Justin Varghese keeps you hooked as unexpected new characters and locations show up on the screen, cities zooming in and out expertly through Shyju Khalid’s camera.
Only, the film which had moved with a comfortable pace, like a piece of cloth under a sewing machine, jolts and comes to an end too suddenly. You find yourself waiting even as the end credits roll, unsure if the film ended, or is the end credits starting playing too early. But that is the end. It does connect the dots, give you the answer you have been waiting for, but it does it rather hurriedly, loosely, almost as if the writers had reached a deadline. It is what happens when the buildup has been too much and the result is rather underwhelming. But for the abruptness of the ending which makes you feel a little cheated, the film is a cosy and engaging watch.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.