Indian Rupee Review

 A hero struggling in finance or career or troubled with responsibility to marry-off his sisters, a heroine facing similar objections to her affair from family and ways to set it right. This had been the staple recipe for most of our potboilers with young stars, from time immemorial. Though the same basic elements are put in the margins, director Renjith creates a slice of life film opening up the thought- processes about the condition of the homeland without losing the cinematic elements that constitute a watchable movie in 'Indian Rupee'. No big flash cuts or great drama here. All you get is a simple, well made engrossing film that comes across as factual and authentic as your eyes would observe and witness in real life.

Creating own mansions in 'high flying dreams' with the commission amount that is expected to be presented to the broker, when a not yet sold property is likely to be sold in the near future, had been the dreams of all the young real estate agents who jumped into the field when the real estate boom started witnessing in Kerala. Many had reaped rich dividends with their unabated treachery deeds, while some lost plenty of money believing in its fortunes. Renjith's new movie "Indian Rupee" is a take on the real estate mania that has been gripping the youths of the state in the last few years.

Renjith, back after his classic 'Pranchiyettan' makes a ritualistic start introducing his protagonist Jayaprakash, ( J P ) a tenth standard drop out who had borrowed three lakhs of INR from his mother(Zeenath) to play his cards as assistants of the lead real estate brokers Rayyan and Joy(Mamukkoya and Biju Pappan ). He with his close pal, C H(Tini Tom), has rented a small movie distributor office set up as their abode, but isn't able to break into big deals because of their low profiles. J P now decides to come out of the shades of their mentors and fetches a contract of Dr Sheela(Revathy) who is the closest guardian of his lover (Reema kallingal). On the same day arrives the veteran Achutha Menon who also wants to dispose the 65 cents land and a bungalow in the heart of the city. Having found prospective buyers, J P and C H proceed to their first ever big business, but suddenly finds that they are in a mess as Achuthamenon's son who is a senior officer in the U N arrive into the scene, blocking the transaction. Though initially annoyed by the happenings, J P and co finds Achutha Menon a wise person who can be a big handy help in crucial circumstances. 'Indian rupee' follows J P's encounters with big money and his life after the arrival of Achuthamenon.

'Indian rupee' works on every level. The biggest advantage is its unpredictable story lines and characters that seems so real and so are their backdrops, their emotions, their relations, their smiles, their tears, their dreams, their worries and their tragedies which are presented in a more subtle and restrained manner. The writing by the director is crisp and convincing, and it has been presented in the most simplistic manner, which makes it easy to decipher and the lead actors steer the film to the destination smoothly. We would like to make a special note of the dialogue weighed with sarcastic observations by Renjith, which are simply fantastic. In fact, the dialogue writing elevates even an ordinary sequence to great levels. Thankfully, the film doesn't get preachy at all, nor does it get into unwanted seriousness in those penultimate moments. Of course, there are minor hiccups in the opening half an hour, but the fact remains that 'Indian rupee' is, without doubt, one of the appealing films to come out recently.

Renjith's movies, generally, is embellished with competent actors who deliver super performances. And here too, every member of the cast shines in his/her role, the length of the role notwithstanding. Prithvi as J P  proves his adaptability and versatility yet again underplaying his part effortlessly. Having impressed us adequately in the past, Prithvi bounces back portraying a character that may take him back to popularity. He utters the most acidic lines with a smile, showing himself as an actor of calibre. Rima gives the right shades to her character, sheds her glam doll image and transforms into an actor with this film. Reeja as J P's only sister appears early in the movie, but she leaves an impact nonetheless. The senior star Thilakan, seen in a commercial film after a long, long time, is at his commanding best and makes you ask the dialogue of the movie 'Where have you been all these days? His performance is a right answer to the comrades of the industry who are trying to restrict various actor's with official and unofficial bans. Tini Tom gets the role of a lifetime and he sinks his teeth into it. This film should open new vistas for him. Jagathy Sreekumar as Golden Pappy, the owner of golden Mall, is incredible. The film has a number of talented names in supporting roles and each remain etched in your memory.

On the whole, 'Indian Rupee' is a feel good, a slice of life film which the populace and the regular persons would relate to.. A definite prescription for all, on theatres. 

Rating: 6.5/10