Shan Thulaseedharan’s ‘Dear Vaappi’, starring Lal and Anagha Narayanan, is a modest feel-good drama about chasing a dream

Spoilers ahead…

There’s something utterly endearing about a big, burly man like Lal playing someone whose dream is to become a fashion designer. (The character’s name is Basheer.) This is a stereotype, of course – there is no body type for any profession. But actors are often so stereotyped themselves – because of their body type, their voice, and so forth – that it is refreshing to find even traces of a difference. Take Lal in . It’s another “soft” role, like in , and it comes with a vulnerability that the character does not have the courage to handle his wife’s illness. The idea that this big, burly man is not as strong as his frail-looking wife is, again, an endearing touch. It may not have worked as well with an actor who had a more “sentimental” screen presence. It is due to Lal that works to the extent that it does.

You can read the rest of the review here:

https://www.galatta.com/malayalam/movie/review/dear-vaappi/

And you can watch the video review here:

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