Review: Minmini

Film: Minmini
Cast: Praveen Kishore, Gaurav Kaalai and Esther Anil among others
Director: Halitha Shameem
Cinematographer: Manoj Paramahamsa
Music: Khatija Rahman
Editor: Raymond Derick Crasta
Rating: 3 stars

Director Halitha Shameem looks to make a simple film that is partly a friendship drama that revolves around survivor guilt and partly, a road trip.

While the friendship drama part of it isn’t very convincing, the road trip has some spectacular visuals to offer so much so that it won’t be an exaggeration to call the film a visual treat.

Here’s the plot in brief…

Sabari (Praveen Kishore) and Pari Mukilan (Gaurav Kaalai) are two schoolmates in a boarding school in Ooty. While Pari is an extrovert, a prankster and a footballer, whose dream is to ride a bike in the Himalayas, Sabari is an introvert and an intellectual, whose love is reserved for art and chess.

The two boys start off as rivals as a result of Pari constantly bullying Sabari. Eventually, Pari’s hatred for Sabari turns into friendship and just as he is about to hold out a hand of friendship, tragedy strikes. An accident occurs and Pari dies in the process of saving Sabari, an asthma patient.

Meanwhile, in another part, unrelated to the developments taking place in the boarding school is a girl called Praveena (Esther Anil) who has some serious heart problems. Pari’s family donates his organs to other patients and one of the patients who has stood to benefit is Praveena.

Praveena chooses to return to the same school where her donor studied to complete her schooling. To her surprise, she finds that her donor’s enemy is trying to be him. What happens then is what Minmini is all about…

Minmini is a story of two halves. While the first half is supposed to be an emotional drama that takes place in a boarding school, the second half is about two youngsters coming to terms with life by surrendering to nature.

What doesn’t work…
The first half, as a whole, doesn’t draw you in because everything about it looks artificial and exaggerated.

From a school student at a boarding school going to bed with his football shoes on to a school student being allowed to sport ear rings/studs in school, nothing seems realistic.

The artificiality is not confined to just appearances. It is also in the manner in which the interactions between the two male protagonists are showcased. The confrontation between the two boys somehow lacks authenticity.

The bigger problem is the manner in which Pari’s character is showcased. The initial manner in which Pari is introduced gives you the impression that he is a bully. The director might have wanted to showcase him as being naughty, but what he ends up coming across is a bully. It is evident that the director wants to make you feel pity for what is to happen to him. So, he is hurriedly showcased as an altruist in the next few scenes. However, that really doesn’t work and you don’t feel any sort of regret by the time, a tragic sequence comes up.

What works…
The second half is in a completely different league. As the characters of Sabari and Praveena go biking to the Himalayas, we are treated to some breathtaking visuals of the majestic peaks. Cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa deserves an award for the brilliant visuals he has shot in this film.

The second half does not have much to offer in terms of content but it does have a couple of heart warming moments that revolve around Sabari letting go of his survivor guilt and Praveena helping him do that.

Khatija Rahman’s background score is a big plus. The film has some really pleasing, soothing music that blends in with the mood the director looks to establish. Raymond Derick Crasta’s editing too is on the dot.

COIN’s Recommendation:
The film is a feel-good, light-hearted entertainer that doesn’t have a gripping story or a realistic plot. But it does have some mind-blowing visuals and some mellifluous music to accompany it. If you can patiently sit through the first half of the film, you will have adequate rewards by way of some striking visuals in the second half. This film is a good one-time watch!