Upacharapurvam Gunda Jayan “This is a nice respite from the dark, violent films we’ve seen lately,” remarks Divya Nair.
Upacharapurvam Gunda Jayan was to be the first film to be released in theaters under Dulker Salman’s Wayfarer Films banner.
After a long delay, the film, directed by Arun Vaiga, was recently released on OTT.
UGJ comedy in Malayalam, dedicated to the wedding.
Jayan (played by Saiju Kurup), a reformed thug, plans to marry his older sister’s daughter to a wealthy Dubai fiance.
After trying to explain that she is in love, she reluctantly agrees to the wedding when Jayan threatens her, secretly hoping her boyfriend will save her.
The entire village is invited to join in the celebrations, and the day before the wedding, many interesting characters are introduced into the story, including relatives and neighbors.
As with all Indian weddings, some have come to stir up a storm while others just want to sit back and watch the drama.
In his 100th film, Saiju tries to breathe life into Jayan, a no-nonsense patriarch who rarely smiles, dislikes nearly everyone, and worse, suffers from a bad case of OCD.
Then there’s Saiju Wilson as Kieran, the effervescent friend of the bride who uses every trick in the book to ensure the wedding never happens.
Each of the characters, although predictable, adds their own dose of humor to the situation, resulting in a comedy of errors.
Harish Kanaran plays an impulsive cook with temper issues.
Sudhir Karamana is a retired colonel. deshbhakt who speaks Hindi and prefers only bread and chicken for dinner.
Shani Shaki, a Singaporean wedding photographer, also laughed.
And finally, the attitude towards the groom from Dubai makes Internet trolls salivate.
The events leading up to the wedding are beautifully captured. From shared bathrooms to unusual requests from guests and family, UGJ correctly conveys much of the emotion and chaos.
Just like in Archana 31 didn’t workwhich is also dedicated to the wedding, UGJ contains enough gossip, comedy, drama and a twist to keep you hooked until the climax.
All this makes the film interesting for the whole family to watch.
This can’t be a laughing riot like punjab house or Kalyanaraman (Oh, they don’t make movies like this anymore) where every scene is so distinct and memorable that even when you watch it years later, your jaw hurts with laughter.
It was said that, UGJ it’s a nice respite from the dark, violent films we’ve seen lately.
This is a simple, touching comedy. Unfortunately, this is also largely predictable.
Upacharapurvam Gunda Jayan is broadcast on Prime Video.
Rediff Rating:
