Directed by :Boban Samuel
Produced by:Arun Ghosh,Bijoy Chandran
Written by: Y. V. Rajesh
Starring:Kunchacko Boban,Biju Menon, Niveda Thomas
Music by:M. Jayachandran,Bijibal (score)
Cinematography: Vinod Illampally
Editing by: Lijo Paul
Review by:Unni R Nair (Kerala9.com )
To be honest, ‘Romans’ didn’t bore me. I almost knew how things would go and I knew there was nothing new or fresh about it. Still, I liked viewing Boban Samuel’s ‘Romans’. The film somehow lacks the charm, the endearing freshness that the director’s last film, his debut venture ‘Janapriyan’, had. But the combination of Kunchacko Boban and Biju Menon would work in favour of the film, at the box office and it’s not totally insufferable either.
Three convicts escape as the cops bring them on a train. Two of them wander along together and finally land up in a small hill-side village named poomala. The inhabitants of the village mistake them to be the new priests sent by Father Gabriel (Vijayaraghavan) and groomed and brought directly from Rome. So the two runaway convicts take charge as the new priests of the village church, which has remained close for quite some time. So now Father Sebu (Biju Menon) and Father Paul (Kunchacko Boban)- that’s how they call themselves- go about working ‘miracles’, ‘healing sick people’, addressing the needs of the villagers etc. All this falls into place and the ‘miracles’ are but coincidences that work in their favour. The duo however plans to spend one month there in hiding and then escape to Dubai. But things are destined to go totally against their plans…
You may tend to exclaim- “I’ve seen all this stuff before!” and you may also shrug your shoulders at the gags and proceedings. But there is no denying the fact that the film is OK as time-pass stuff and is tolerable, OK for a one-time watch. I liked it. Go with a free mind, a totally free and unprejudiced mind and you may like it. It’s no great stuff. There’s nothing fresh about it. You’ve definitely seen it all before. The humour may not work for you. But, there is a flow and you may like it. That’s all I can say about ‘Romans’.
Performance
Chackochan and Biju Menon are good in their respective roles, but if the script had been better, they would have had better scope for performance. Their on-screen chemistry works in parts, but had the writer and director worked it out in a better way. Laloo Aalex is OK, Nelson is funny. Nivedha has nothing much to do.
Technical aspects
The technical guys render full support to the director in the realization of the subject. Vinod Illampally’s camera work is good.
Music
Songs are all OK and the background score jells with the mood and the theme.
Script
Y.V.Rajesh, who has penned the script, should have worked better on the same and also on the humour element. If worked out better, ‘Romans’ would have been a wonderfully enjoyable entertainer.
Direction
Boban Samuel is in full control of the direction part. It’s just that he should have chosen a better script for his second movie. Anyhow, he has come up with a film that’s OK for a one-time watch.
Verdict- Not bad. An entertainer good enough for a one-time watch!!
Rating: 2.5/5