Marivillin Gopurangal movie review: Indrajith, Shruti Ramachandran’s slice-of-life drama lacks flavour

Though Marivillin Gopurangal starts on a cheerful note, depicting the vibrant lives of Shinto and Sherin, it quickly becomes apparent that the film’s joy is contained only within its characters, leaving the audience feeling excluded. Even moments of happiness or smiles among the characters fail to resonate, as screenwriter Pramod Mohan struggles to deliver emotional depth. As the film unfolds, the script’s lack of coherence becomes glaringly obvious and despite the detailed portrayal of the characters, their depth remains shallow, exacerbating the movie’s shortcomings. Even the romantic and light-hearted moments between the couples, though they bring joy to the characters, fall short of eliciting the same response from viewers due to the script’s lack of depth.

Another major flaw in the movie occurs when it redirects its attention towards specific characters or couples. Here, Marivillin Gopurangal gives the impression that it has entirely disregarded other characters, making them appear irrelevant or as if they have ceased to exist. This shift in focus gives off the feeling that the rest of the story is going to revolve solely around those currently in the spotlight. It’s only when the neglected characters are reintroduced that the film too becomes aware of their presence, thus highlighting the makers’ failure to ensure consistency in the narrative.

Watch Marivillin Gopurangal trailer here:

While the script touches on significant topics such as parenthood, marriage, childhood trauma, and bullying and its repercussions in a simple manner, as Einstein’s quote suggests, the absence of impact and director Arun’s inability to seamlessly integrate these elements render the said themes and their portrayals ineffective.

Even when characters open up about their struggles — such as when Shinto breaks down before Sherin, feeling that his film career may never take off; or when Roy confronts his childhood bullies, triggering traumatic memories; or when Meenakshi shares her experience of growing up in a dysfunctional family — the script falls short of evoking empathy. The oversimplification of these moments too backfires, ultimately alienating the audiences and leaving them feeling disconnected from the characters’ emotional journeys.

Director Arun Bose’s Marivillin Gopurangal revolves around two couples and these characters are played by Indrajith Sukumaran, Shruti Ramachandran, Sarjano Khalid and Vincy Aloshious. (Image: Indrajith Sukumaran/Facebook)

Amidst all the shortcomings, the performances are what keep Marivillin Gopurangal afloat to some extent. Indrajith Sukumaran and Shruti Ramachandran bring a captivating flair to the film and their on-screen chemistry is truly magical, holding viewers’ attention. Despite limited opportunities to showcase their best, Indrajith and Shruti skillfully embody the essence of Shinto and Sherin in a charming manner, making their moments together a sight to behold. While Sarjano Khalid and Vincy Aloshious’ performances did not reach the exceptional level of the former pair, they still do justice to their roles and exhibit a beautiful chemistry that enhances the movie a bit. Had the film delved a bit deeper into Rony and Meenakshi’s relationship instead of overly focusing on their individual journeys and struggles, it could have greatly benefited Marivillin Gopurangal. Actors Sai Kumar, Johny Antony, Bindu Panicker and Vasisht Umesh also deliver decent performances given the limited material.

On the technical front, Syamaprakash MS’s cinematography, director Arun’s and Shaijal PV’s editing and Anees Nadodi’s art direction are decent. However, the unnecessary use of CGI in some parts, particularly for flashbacks, detracted from the overall experience. The biggest disappointment, though, was the music crafted by veteran composer Vidyasagar, who has created some of Indian cinema’s most memorable tracks. In Marivillin Gopurangal, however, Vidyasagar fails to recreate that magic and his songs end up being just average. At the same time, the film’s overreliance on background score in certain portions where it could have been toned down or avoided, as well as its complete absence in other instances where a good track could have heightened the emotion, affected the overall viewing experience.

Marivillin Gopurangal movie cast: Indrajith Sukumaran, Shruti Ramachandran, Sarjano Khalid, Vincy Aloshious
Marivillin Gopurangal movie director: Arun Bose
Marivillin Gopurangal movie rating: 1.5 stars