Readers Write In #677: Manjummel Boys – ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin Todenge ,Chhodenge Dum Magar , Tera Saath Na Chhodenge’

By Ajith Sathyanand

Chidambaram.S.Poduval’s Malayalam film ‘ Manjummel boys’ is about a group of friends from the town of Manjummel in Ernakulam, Kerala who embark on a trip to Kodaikanal and find themselves in a do-or-die situation that not only tests their physical and mental limits but also the limits to which one can go for a friend.

The Manjummel boys include eleven friends, all from the lower middle class depending on their daily jobs of survival. What keeps them all united is their friendship, alcohol, and their arts and sports club ‘Darshana’ which we are told was initially a part of the ‘yuvadarshana’ club but later split into Yuva and Darshana and that results in an inter-club rivalry which is revealed earlier ln in the film through an emphatically staged tug of war scene which our boys end up losing. Amidst their training for the next tug-of-war game, they decide to go on an all-boys trip. Like every boys’ gang ever ,several names of places are tossed around before zeroing in on Kodaikanal. They approach another friend of theirs who is a tours operator and set off to Kodaikanal in a crammed-up Toyota qualis. Songs ,speed ,fun and booze give them good company on their way to Kodaikanal where they seem to be having the time of their lives but there is also a strange sense of eeriness as though something tragic is about to happen. As they are about to start on their way back to their homes ,one of them realizes that there is one destination that they have missed out at Kodaikanal – The famous ‘ Guna caves’ ,’ “Kamal sir policha sthalam aanu” exclaims one of the boys. Our boys reach the caves and without adhering to the warnings do the forbidden act of going inside the caves. All fun and frolic turns into tragedy as one of them falls into one of the deep and treacherous part of the Guna caves. Does he survive the fall into the devil’s kitchen and what happens to rest of the boys forms the rest of the plot.

What works

Without giving away any spoilers, i would like to say that if somebody googles the film’s title, there are two things that they are bound to find, firstly that this is a survival thriller and next is that this is based on a real-life incident. A survival thriller has an obvious meaning, so we know beforehand how things are about to unfold and how they ll end, yet Chidambaram the writer and the director keeps things so controlled that you have a sense of foreboding and eerie feeling that something tragic is about to happen,but the specific point where it happens takes you completely unawares and gives a jump scare. In the same way, the buildup using a game of tug of war, or two characters talking about God as a ‘light from above’ or two characters living their present-day similar to how their childhood gameplay was, are done so convincingly that one does not ask questions and at least I could not anticipate till the end, how the payoff would happen.

An equal contender for the best aspect of this movie would be the cinematography and art department. Right from the opening credits which serve as a tribute to ‘Guna’,to the colorful first dance in the marriage and the first tug of war competition to the beautiful hills of Kodai to the dark and deep dungeon-like cave, it would not be wrong to say that the movie really transports the viewer inside the caves. The detailed interiors of the caves are something that has to be seen to be believed especially the usage of light and the presence or absence of it.

The sound design – From the thump of the tug of war at the village to the chaos of a drunk gang of friends making merry at kodai to the deathly silences of the caves where the rescuers communicate only by screams, the sound design compliments the cinematography well.

The performances – Though all the actors are well cast and fit well in the characters, two performers stand out,  Soubin Shahir as Kuttan, the emotional core, the morally upright man of the gang and the glue that binds the gang together, and George Maryan as Arumugam, the local vendor who though initially discourages the boys from conducting a rescue operation but later helps them.

What doesn’t

Some viewers might find the story predictable and the characters of the boys generic and the backstory, interpersonal relationships ill-explored. Also, the representation of cops from Kodaikanal too might come under criticism.

Overall, Manjummel boys is yet another addition to the glorious repertoire of Malayalam cinema, an industry that always sets an example of how good stories can be told in a simple, relatable and budget-friendly manner.