Traffic- the review

Rajesh Pillai's debut movie,'Hrudayathil Sukshikkan' which came out in the year 2005 was a poor copy of the hollywood hit 'Meet the parents'.But his second movie 'traffic' which is also the first malayalam release of 2011 is not only an original one but also manages to keep you in the edge of the seat throughout it's running time.

Traffic has 6 main characters -an aspiring journalist (vineeth),his friend(asif),a superstar(rahman) and his family,a young cardiac surgeon(kunchakko),his friend(krishna),a police commissioner(anup menon) and a traffic police constable(srinivasan).An accident changes their lives forever and how they tackle with it is what the story is about.(As i don't believe in giving out the story line completely in the review,i am not going in further into it;find it for yourself at a theatre near you!) 

The good thing about the movie is it's script which hooks you in compeletely.The better thing is that unlike it's most recent counterpart (Cocktail) it's  genuine and not a frame to frame copy of some canadian/latin american flick which fakes as an original one.Almost all the characters have been etched out really well and the script writers have tried to give justification for almost all of their acts and deeds.The events unfold in a brisk manner,gives you a surprise every now and then,manages to tickle your funny bone(the interview sequence/the 'politician' scene) occassionally, yet doesn't end up as a big joke once it is over (remember 'tournament'?).The interval punch is brilliant and keeps you guessing about the different probabilities that can happen.

Though the movie doesn't have a hero or a heroine as such ,it hasn't deterred the lead actors/actresses in delivering  competent performances.All of them have performed brilliantly and the pick of the lot is Saikumar,playing the anguished father.Rahman ,Anoop Menon, Asif ali were also good.Kunchakko Boban was ok. Among the females it was Lena who had a meaty role though at times her dialogues were too silly and artificial.

Coming to the technical department,you can't find much fault there with almost all the departments faring well.Special mention must be given to the brilliant bgm by Mejo joseph and the cinematography by shyju khalid which matches the mood and tone of the film entirely.The editing is also tight with no unwanted scenes or unnecessary fights.

On the downside,there are a few instances in the movie(especially towards the end) which defies logic(the colony scene for instance).Likewise it's not clear why dr abel behaves in that manner once he realises that the car has hit her(it's pretty clear that she has no idea about the one who has hit her, from the previous scene).Similarly the whole idea of covering that much distance within a span of two hours also lacked believability.

All these flaws apart, 'Traffic' is the perfect entertainer for the season.It is the kind of cinema that thrills you,amuses you,frightens you and even makes you stand up and applaud once the show is over.Hats off to rajesh pillai for giving us this movie.

Verdict: Go for it!