Wow! It's baffling to see such mediocre content being put forward by Malayalam cinema when there's so much experimentation and novel scripts being written and brought to life.
The premise is a problem in that it tries to establish and validate the notion that family, relations are of utmost importance in the Indian culture and that American or Western society is money driven.
Anyone who has traveled the world or researched would know that relations, family form the core of all and any culture around the world. The way that plays out may be different. Just because divorce, remarriage, raising step children etc are not unusual in the western countries, it is by no means pointing to a conclusion that the value of family is trivial.
So yes, it is not surprising to hear many people alluding to notions such as this one that family is not important to the foreigners.
Tovino goes overboard in playing the part of a simpleton "aiyyo paavam" guy. The director/writer failed to notice that the protagonist actually comes across as a failure - a youth who whiles away his time drinking, borrowing money from anyone and everyone with no attempt to doing anything fruitful to pick up the pieces and find the drive to earn a livelihood.
Anyone could have played the part of the 'American tourist' and it would have made no difference.
If this was intended as a road/travel movie, that was barely there. A few glimpses here and there of random shooting locations is all that was.
In that aspect,Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi was a pretty good watch.
In all, a big disappointment and I was cringing at the repeat of the "relationship is important " dialogues.
In all, a big disappointment and I was cringing at the repeat of the "relationship is important " dialogues.