Producer– M Mani
Director- Shyamaprasad
Cast- Fahadh Faasil, Ann Augustine, Sreeram Ramachandran, Srinda Ashab etc.
Music- Bijibal
Editing by: Vinod Sukumaran
Review By : Unni R Nair (Kerala9.com )
“Saw ‘Artist’…abstract, awesome…both performed well”- this was the text message I received from Rahul Narasimh, my friend and photographer.
After seeing ‘Artist’ I cannot but agree to this view. This Shyamaprasad film is just brilliant. I just don’t feel like counting negatives here; am just bowled over. The film is well written, well made and in7 all respects impressive.
Michael Agnelo (Fahadh Faasil) is an artist. While at the Fine Arts College, he had fallen in love with Gayathry (Ann Augustine), a junior. Facing stiff opposition from parents, they decide to live together. They decide to drop out of college. While Gayathry’s parents oppose her decision to move in with Michael, Michael’s rich father simply stops supporting him when he learns that he has decided to stop studying and won’t do business like him. Michael and Gayathry thus go for a live-in kind of arrangement. Love is very much in the air and they are both happy. But Michael is a born artist. He want to do nothing but paint and expects Gayathry to go out, work and earn money to run the family and also to suffice to buy stuff for his painting related activities. This is exactly what happens, but after a point, when Michael starts being indifferent to Gayathry’s requests to come meet people for painting related jobs and assignments, she gets desperate. Then, before something else could be done, an accident happens and Michael is rendered blind. This is from where the story takes off, on a totally different note…
Based on Paritosh Uttam’s novel ‘Dreams in Prussian Blue’, ‘Artist’ explores the life of an artist from a different perspective and at the same time delves on much more sensitive issues, pertaining to relationships. The characterization, the scripting, the performances, the music, the cinematography and all other aspects of the film tend to be impressive, on all counts. The way the film ends, supplying us food for real profound thinking, is really appreciable. Don’t want to go on and on, just go watch the film…
Kudos Shyamaprasad and team for such a wonderful movie…Good work indeed!!
Performance
Fahadh once again proves his mettle, as Michael. He in fact lives as Michael on screen and portray all shades of the character’s moods quite convincingly. Ann Augustine comes up with a scintillating performance- her very best till date- as Gayathry. All others have put in commendable performances, but there is no denying the fact that the film belongs basically to Fahadh and Ann.
Technical aspects
Cinematographer Shamdut, editor Vinod Sukumaran and art-director Biju Chinnathil have contributed greatly towards making ‘Artist’ a wonderful movie. Every other technical guy teaming up with these key people them too deserve appreciation.
Music
Bijibal takes care of the music department with élan and the songs too suit the mood and the tempo, though you may at times feel like you have heard this kind of tunes in the director’s earlier films. But still, the music is good and supports the total mood of the film…
Script
Shyamaprasad has done a brilliant job of the screenplay, with excellent characterisation being one of the highlights of the movie. Paritosh Uttam, on whose novel the film is based, too deserves mention.
Direction
Shyamaprasad is in full form as the director of ‘Artist’, which perhaps is his best film, after ‘Agnisakshi’. Excellent job indeed. He makes sure it’s all restrained to an extent and nothing more is there than is needed, to make the story come alive on screen. This restraint, this frugality of sorts makes ‘Artist’ a wonderful experience…
Verdict– Awesome!!! Just go for it….
Rating: 4/5