Passenger

On the day itself, when I saw the promotional stills of the new release in malayalam, I noticed the uniqueness in it. You have Dileep and Sreenivasan doing the central characters with Mamtha Mohandas as the heroine, it is being shot in the backdrop of a train journey. Moreover, if the name of the film is ‘Passenger’, then such a project can feel different.

Without any surprise, the film started with a train journey. The first few scenes are carried away by the discussion between passengers travelling in it. They will be having debates on the current issues. At the same time, on another train, a journalist Anu (Mamtha) is travelling. Her husband, advocate Nandan (Dileep) fights against the political leaders for the justice of the villagers regarding the land issue. Satyanath, a private employee and a family man (Sreenivasan) who travels in the train daily, meets the advocate. The minister (Jagathi) who has got many allegations against him wants to take revenge on the couples. Later, Satyanath enters the life of Nandan and Anu at crucial situations and the problems happening between them is shown by the debutant scriptwriter – director Ranjith Shankar, who has once assisted Lal Jose.

Sreenivasan’s role in ‘Passenger’ is a rare representative of the common man who has always got a helping mentality towards others. His simple nature with spontaneous witty dialogues is a portrait from the real life. The characterization of minister in the villain role looks natural. Also the new director had presented the film without any gimmicks. The story is told straightly and the presentation is simple. You can’t witness any special effects on the visual and sound side. P.Sukumar’s camera is effortless and excellent; on the background score area, you have got Bijibal. He has used simple tones which is different and also matches the mood of the film.

Another good thing here is that even though Dileep is casted, you can’t find the presence of any stars here. The hero of the film is the story and its presentation. It is based on many incidents and the majority of them happening within a time span of 24hours. The TV channel interview, train journey and the associated incidents, press meet, mobile cam shoot, addiction to television programs etc are some of the episodes that are closely related to the day to day life.

As a representative of middle class, Sreenivasan suits the character very well. Performance of Jagathi in the villain’s role is also excellent. It is good to see that, after many flops, Dileep has changed his attitude by doing an ordinary character. Mamtha in the journalist’s role is also good. It took some time for the film to take its pace, after a slow start. The attempt of the new director should be appreciated for the best treatment given for an ordinary film. Also, the film leaves a message that enhances the human values.

‘Passenger’ is a real reflection of the society through certain incidents. No need for a hide and seek game there. Just enter and enjoy the journey.

Rating : 4 / 5 (revised)