Varshangalkku Shesham

Vineeth Sreenivasan deserves applause for striving to blend the past with the present and revoking your memories. While Venu and Murali are clearly not your affable Vijayan and Dasan, the film's second half picks up pace with ample laughs, though the first half suffers from a slow burn and the lead actors fail to flesh out their characters adequately.

As a film with a strong focus on music, composer Amrit Ramnath has done a solid job. Apart from these bits, a lot of the other humour doesn't really land. Vineeth's script, where the two friends blow hot and blow cold doesn't flow smoothly. And while audiences loved the jokes referencing Sreenivasan or the industry, the rest of the humour doesn't really land.

The major disappointment in Vineeth Sreenivasan's Dhyan Sreenivasan and Pranav Mohanlal-starrer lies in the fact that, despite the ensemble cast, it's only Nivin Pauly, in an extended cameo, who delivers a standout performance. The film takes a downturn once Pranav Mohanlal enters the scene, and the attempt to force the two actors on each other backfires instantaneously as they lack chemistry, at least on screen.

Vineeth Sreenivasan's tale of friendship is earnest but melodramatic. The film captures how the film industry is not easy for outsiders and every Friday is a test of your talent.

Vineeth Sreenivasan, from the wealth of his experience, appears to be acutely aware of the barbs that would be coming his way after a film's release. In Varshangalkku Shesham, his sixth directorial, he launches a preemptive strike at such barbs by indulging in some uncharacteristic self-mockery. But then, let that not fuel expectations of Vineeth charting a fresh path.

Varshangalkku Shesham is a tribute to cinema and friendship, with Pranav Mohanlal delivering an eccentric and memorable performance that anchors the film's exploration of passion, ambition, and the bonds between friends.