Jis Joy is a director who has come under a lot of flak and ridicule in recent times for his insistence on portraying only the goodness in people in his preachy, feel-good earlier films like "Vijay Superum Pournamiyum (2019)" and "Mohan Kumar Fans (2021). It was a pleasant surprise when he announced his first foray into the thriller genre and with a star-studded cast including Asif Ali, Antony Varghese and Nimisha Sajayan, audiences had hopes that this project would be a turnaround for the director who gave us gems like "Bicycle Thieves (2013)" and "Sunday Holiday (2017)", at the beginning of his career.
But alas, "Innale Vare" is engaging only in parts and comes across as disjointed and contrived in large portions, failing to keep the audience invested in any of its three lead actors. That they were played by three seasoned performers puts the blame squarely on the tepid direction and the unimaginative screenplay, who fail to do justice to a good story idea fashioned by accomplished writers Bobby & Sanjay. The pace of the film is uneven, slowing down inexplicably in insignificant portions and racing through several clutch sequences while the thrills are too few and far between.
The story follows the journey of "Adhi" (Asif Ali), a struggling film hero who becomes involved in a extortion racket perpetrated by two mysterious strangers. While Asif predictably, makes the best out of the sub-par screenplay, Nimisha Sajayan shines in a role very different to what we have seen her portray on screen. Antony Varghese however, gets dealt a bad hand, with an underwritten and barely-there character that doesn't utilize the caliber of the actor at any point. Rony David and Irshad are reliably efficient in their supporting roles while Reba Monica John puts in a mature performance.
While the director's attempt to stray away from his core genre and experiment with an unconventional storyline is commendable, the execution was clearly lacking in this one. It is hard to see a very capable actor like Asif Ali deliver yet another sub-par film after a string of misadventures like "Ellam Sheriyakum (2021)", "Kunjeldho (2021)" and "Kuttavum Shikshayum (2022)" . Hopefully, his upcoming projects like "Mahaveeryar" and "Kotth" brings back the charming performer we have all grown to know and love. Watch "Innale Vare" at your own risk!
