Official Trailer:

Malayalam film industry has kick started 2024 on a high. In span of two months, we have Malaikottai Vaaliban, Brahmayugam, and now Manjummel Boys. We can be lenient and add Kaathal – The Core (released November 2023) to the list. All different genre movies. What is common between them is the high confidence on the content, writing, and bold film making. Manjummel Boys is based on a true story. Audience knows the end and no suspense there. But the movie takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions – joy, fun, fear, angry, doubt, despair, hope. The emotional connection quotient is very high. When the movie hits the high notes, we get a real high. The sequence from when Abhilash says loose adikkada to Kuttan and Subhash come out of the ravine as the lines Manithar Unarnthu kolla ithu manithak kaadhal alla from the iconic song Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan from Guna reverberates in the background score – goosebumps moment and tear glands go active!! Last time I hit this kind of high was when the two boys climb the steps of the pizza joint bare foot in Kaakka Muttai movie climax.

Director Chidambaram gets many things right in Manjummel Boys. He balances the emotional moments without resorting to melodrama. He keeps the emotions real and grounded which makes it easy to connect with the characters. There is no buildup or cue to the critical moment when Subhash falls in to the ravine. It happens so fast and in a split second (we will miss it if we blink), we also feel the fear in our spine like his friends. Even though there are 11 Manjummel boys, director gives them individual traits. Every event gets connected, director doesn’t miss an opportunity 😀 A news item in a torn page in the opening scene makes a comeback towards the end. Tug-of-war, high decibel voice, and a throwaway discussion about god make their unexpected appearances at crucial moments.

A group of friends from Manjummel take a road trip to Kodaikkanal. Things go well till they decide to climb down to the restricted area to see the Guna caves. Britishers called it the Devil’s Kitchen since these caves have ravines which are said to be 900 feet deep. People started calling it Guna Caves after Guna movie made it famous. As the friends run around the cave repeating Kamal’s lines from Guna, Subhash falls into the ravine. As the fear grips them few of the friends run to get the help of the locals, police, and the forest guard. All they hear is hopelessness from them. There is no way to survive the fall. No one has survived the fall so far. Friends are not willing to lose their hope. They don’t want to go back without their friend. As they wait around the abyss with hope, they hear Subhash’s voice. Rest of the movie is how the friends take a daring mission to bring back their friend with help from firemen, locals, guard, and the cops. While the friends are the heroes in the real life, in the reel life the heroes are production set designer, cinematographer and music composer. It is hard to differentiate between real location and the set design. Cinematographer immerses us in the location – we feel the claustrophobic nature of the caves and the ravine, how small we are compared to these tall, massive rocks and slopes, and why these are dangerous and are called Devil’s kitchen for a reason.  Music and the sound design mirrors the film’s emotional roller coaster ride. Sushin Shyam’s decision to use Ilayaraja’s “Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan” track in the final moments of the rescue is a brilliant move. The song is about love that is beyond the comprehension of the humans. It fits the situation, where the boys keep their hopes alive against the odds. In the second half we get two wonderful transitions from the boys’ childhood events to the Guna cave situation.

All the actors have given the performances that is needed for the character. Soubin Shahir as Kuttan and Sreenath Bhasi as Subhash stand out with their best. There are few things that didn’t work well. We get scenes of drinking and shouting in a tourist place and vomiting remains on the car doors. Director doesn’t pass a judgement on their behavior, but it comes out as fun and not as an annoying and troublesome behavior. Especially in a public and in a crowded tourist destination. Is drinking the only way boys can have fun when they get together? It is not clear how Abhilash deduces the rope is stuck towards climax when he says loose adikkada. But these are minor squabbles. As a whole package, Manjummel Boys works magnificently with broad emotional arcs it aims for.