Basheerinte Premalekhanam: Tickles your nostalgia and that's it 

Basheerinte Premalekhanam is set in a rustic hamlet near Kozhikode, in the early 80s. For the people there, a radio is a sophisticated equipment and a bridge is a long-awaited dream. Here, a guy is revered because he went to a 'polytechnic'. The life here is that naive and ancient.

Sadly, the movie is no different. Everything in it is outright obsolete. The plot is ridden with cliches, the love story flawed and the humour falls flat. Though Aneesh Anwar has brought in every element which once made us fall in love with simple love stories, Basheerinte Premalekhanam fails to keep us hooked.

Cast: Farhan Fasil, Sana Althaf, Manikandan, Joy Mathew
Director: Aneesh Anwar

The life in this village flows smooth until a TV set arrives there. The TV has been sent from Gulf by Usman (Manikandan) to Suhara (Sana Althaf), who are soon to marry, as arranged by Suhara's father Hajjiar (Joy Mathew).  But Suhara falls for Basheer (Farhan Faasil), who arrives to repair the TV set. Their love story has the blessing of Suhara's grandmother (Sheela). But, will things go as planned? Not really.

While Basheerinte Premalekhanam tickles our sense of nostalgia to an extent - everything from the Doordarshan jingle to Nirma advertisement to Chitrageetham finds a mention - the milieu in which the plot is set looks very fabricated. Aneesh Anwar, usually known for his commendable body of work, succumbs to cliches here. Like in every other village tale, a barber, a teashop guy and a few jobless local politicos are thrown into the mix. This is a huge disappointment because the movie has a novel theme here, one that surrounds a TV.

Though it offers a beautiful canvas for some great humour, Basheerinte Premalekhanam lets us down because none of the characters, of the umpteen ones, get much space or scope to perform. As for the lead characters, the biggest flaw is their apparent lack of chemistry. Well, one can't blame them really because there is little in the script dedicated for 'love'. A few coy glances and a song later, their romance story ends, making way for the next pair.

Farhan Faasil looks confused and has nothing much to emote, and for most of the movie, is seen riding a cycle with a smile pasted on his face. Sana, too, has  little scope to perform. Sheela is stuck with the bubbly grandma avatar, while Joy Mathew does his part well.

Aneesh Anwar indeed decided to experiment a bit with Basheerinte Premalekhanam. With a vintage tale and simple lives, he aimed to create a feel-good flavour here. We only wish it had been more engaging and funny.