The movie from the release of its first look had created an excitement in movie buffs. But the fact is that it couldn't break the expectation level. The first half was very impressive and it seemed to be a new plot. The viewers who moved to the second half with great anxiety were disappointed as the movie ended as a normal film with many questions remaining unanswered. For a film with such a good start deserves better a tail end. But the direction and photography are appreciable. The bgm was nice as it could create a psycho mood. Also the casting is perfect and each and every actor even those who appear only for a single scene have done their part very well...
65 Reviews
the slow pace is a downer
beevenkat13 May 2021
How does a 7 year old, innocent schoolchild know the specifics of crimes which transpired 25 years ago? Has someone been feeding him these stories? Does his dead father communicate with him? Why does a man wearing a 'batman' like mask befriend the boy? Malayalam movie #Nizhal is supposed to be a whodunit, but the slow pace is a downer. Running time should be reduced by 20 minutes. Cinematography n performances r good. Rating 2.5/5.
A SLOW PACED Thriller. ONE TIME Watch.
MandalBros-517 May 2021
The basic story idea of NIZHAL was really interesting, but the problem is it's lengthy screenplay. I didn't feel bored by the way. It is a slow paced thriller, because the time gap between 2 twists is too long.
So many questions may arise within you while watching, that's why maybe you'll expect something big to happen in the climax. But the ending may disappoint you.
Overall it's not at all a bad film, rather a good film, but could've been better. I think you should give it a try, you may like it.
A One Time Watch.
Available on Amazon Prime Video.
© MandalBros.
So many questions may arise within you while watching, that's why maybe you'll expect something big to happen in the climax. But the ending may disappoint you.
Overall it's not at all a bad film, rather a good film, but could've been better. I think you should give it a try, you may like it.
A One Time Watch.
Available on Amazon Prime Video.
© MandalBros.
Engrossing Thriller With Some Loose Ends
indianature13 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Nizhal is a thriller movie currently streaming on Primevideo in orig. Malayalam w/Eng. Subs. It was a lot more engrossing than expected.
The film starts on a somewhat eerie note with the sudden sound of a car crash on a forest road waking a (fake looking) frogmouth type of bird. The bird wakes but just blinks. Quite effective, had it been a real bird.
Cut to : A judicial magistrate John Baby (Kunchacko Boban) recovering from a bad car accident, resumes his court duties wearing a peculiar Batman type of nose guard while his nose heals. This of course causes a mild flutter in the staid courtroom atmosphere and left me wondering if it was a Batman type fantasy film, which fortunately it is not! The accident has left Baby seeing rain showers when it is not raining at all. His doctor assures him this is a temporary PTSD and will pass. Baby's boss the CJM (Saiju Kurup) is also very supportive. Baby's best friends (Rony David) and his psychologist wife Shalini (Divya Prabha) also reassure and encourage him.
Shalini mentions about her patient, a young boy Nitin (Izin Hash) referred by his school as he bizarrely narrates murder incidents and obscure place names which a child of that age should have no inkling about. She arranges for Baby to meet Nitin and his mother Sharmi (Nayanthara). Baby is more than intrigued and starts investigations which indeed turn up a skeleton ...... going back a few decades.
No Spoilers, whoever has bothered to read this far can watch or not watch per their inclination.
The narrative continues in this vein, sometimes rather scary though this is not a horror or supernatural film even if one is led to believe so for a moment. The locations are realistic, some beautiful old houses showcased, the best scenery of Hogenakkal and overall effective cinematography.
The film has its moments of medium suspense though not of the edge of your seat variety, and there are quite a few loose ends such as why Baby is being followed which is not disclosed. The courtroom scenes are quite humorous with a sly satirical dig or two here and there!
Kunchacko Boban essays his role well. Nayanthara is okay. The child actor Izan Hash is somewhat stilted but looks cute enough. Saiju Kurup, Rony David, Divya Prabha, Baby's mother (Srilatha), his court clerk Valsala (Jolly Chirayath), his driver, the old man Vishwanathan(Lal) and all the police characters are realistic and effective but their roles are limited.
The background music is tacky and soap opera melodramatic style sound effects which take the overall film down a notch or two. The last song in the end frames is good.
Overall, very watchable. Despite the flaws I liked Nizhal much better than Kunchacko Boban's superhit Anjaam Pathira. Though his best film till date remains the outstanding Take Off .....
The film starts on a somewhat eerie note with the sudden sound of a car crash on a forest road waking a (fake looking) frogmouth type of bird. The bird wakes but just blinks. Quite effective, had it been a real bird.
Cut to : A judicial magistrate John Baby (Kunchacko Boban) recovering from a bad car accident, resumes his court duties wearing a peculiar Batman type of nose guard while his nose heals. This of course causes a mild flutter in the staid courtroom atmosphere and left me wondering if it was a Batman type fantasy film, which fortunately it is not! The accident has left Baby seeing rain showers when it is not raining at all. His doctor assures him this is a temporary PTSD and will pass. Baby's boss the CJM (Saiju Kurup) is also very supportive. Baby's best friends (Rony David) and his psychologist wife Shalini (Divya Prabha) also reassure and encourage him.
Shalini mentions about her patient, a young boy Nitin (Izin Hash) referred by his school as he bizarrely narrates murder incidents and obscure place names which a child of that age should have no inkling about. She arranges for Baby to meet Nitin and his mother Sharmi (Nayanthara). Baby is more than intrigued and starts investigations which indeed turn up a skeleton ...... going back a few decades.
No Spoilers, whoever has bothered to read this far can watch or not watch per their inclination.
The narrative continues in this vein, sometimes rather scary though this is not a horror or supernatural film even if one is led to believe so for a moment. The locations are realistic, some beautiful old houses showcased, the best scenery of Hogenakkal and overall effective cinematography.
The film has its moments of medium suspense though not of the edge of your seat variety, and there are quite a few loose ends such as why Baby is being followed which is not disclosed. The courtroom scenes are quite humorous with a sly satirical dig or two here and there!
Kunchacko Boban essays his role well. Nayanthara is okay. The child actor Izan Hash is somewhat stilted but looks cute enough. Saiju Kurup, Rony David, Divya Prabha, Baby's mother (Srilatha), his court clerk Valsala (Jolly Chirayath), his driver, the old man Vishwanathan(Lal) and all the police characters are realistic and effective but their roles are limited.
The background music is tacky and soap opera melodramatic style sound effects which take the overall film down a notch or two. The last song in the end frames is good.
Overall, very watchable. Despite the flaws I liked Nizhal much better than Kunchacko Boban's superhit Anjaam Pathira. Though his best film till date remains the outstanding Take Off .....
One time watch with your family
tvedukr13 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The opening scene will itself give you a hint that it has lot of vfx and great visuals. Debut director Appu N Bhattathiri, editor Arunlal S. P & cinematography by Deepak D. Menon has surely given us a great visual experience. Sometimes it felt a little fake and sometime it was very effective.
"Nizhal" is a psychological thriller which is available on Prime in Malayalam w/Eng subs.
Coming to the plot, first half was great. Creating a initial character development of John baby (Kunchacko Boban) as District Court Judge and his getting into an accident. But then the storyline completely changes with new elements of crime mystery. There are some comedic elements too added to give a light tone, first half was actually impressive.
But as Sharmila (Nayantara) is introduced as the single parent to Nitin, there is so much lack in the acting part. It was obvious that her parts were dubbed by somebody else, and I personally didn't feel there was any expression she was giving, it was bland. This may be another reason that second half didn't have a impact as the first coz she had to be a pivotal part in it.
Climax, it's like a roller coaster ride; the build up was so high and it just fell in a click of a second. Every single plot point becomes useless as ending dilutes into nothingness.
It was like we need to end this, so what is the easiest way to end a story without spoiling the initial plot elements; Just finish the root. (Where is the justification, this is more fantasy than realism)
Overall a family watch movie, definitely watch this instead of Radhe.
"Nizhal" is a psychological thriller which is available on Prime in Malayalam w/Eng subs.
Coming to the plot, first half was great. Creating a initial character development of John baby (Kunchacko Boban) as District Court Judge and his getting into an accident. But then the storyline completely changes with new elements of crime mystery. There are some comedic elements too added to give a light tone, first half was actually impressive.
But as Sharmila (Nayantara) is introduced as the single parent to Nitin, there is so much lack in the acting part. It was obvious that her parts were dubbed by somebody else, and I personally didn't feel there was any expression she was giving, it was bland. This may be another reason that second half didn't have a impact as the first coz she had to be a pivotal part in it.
Climax, it's like a roller coaster ride; the build up was so high and it just fell in a click of a second. Every single plot point becomes useless as ending dilutes into nothingness.
It was like we need to end this, so what is the easiest way to end a story without spoiling the initial plot elements; Just finish the root. (Where is the justification, this is more fantasy than realism)
Overall a family watch movie, definitely watch this instead of Radhe.
Slow paced thriller with funny CGI
jetkot10 June 2021
The child actor .Izin Hash is so brilliant. But the movie falters with funny CGI. The execution on screen is lackluster. The pacing is extremely slow for a thriller. A lot of time is wasted before the exciting things begin to happen.
One time watchable
m-ramanan2 July 2021
RATED 7/10
Language: Malayalam
Source: Amazon Prime
One time watchable thriller...The first half of the movie was good and the thrill factor is totally lost when the reveal the reason... its so silly and total movie looks so lazy after that....
One time watchable thriller...The first half of the movie was good and the thrill factor is totally lost when the reveal the reason... its so silly and total movie looks so lazy after that....
Different nice thriller in malayalam
tjerin9 April 2021
A gradually fading Nizhal!
itsallaboutflicks30 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
With a bright start, it makes every effort to follow you like a Nizhal and tries to get into your head. It does succeed to some extent, at least during the first half with a few captivating visuals and unique, intriguing background scores, but Nizhal fades away gradually due to a cloudy, stretched script and arguably a dim, mindless end.
****
With a bright shining start, a conspicuous Nizhal makes a solid impression. It looks promising with an interesting premise, picturesque shots and intriguing background scores.
However, Nizhal starts to fade away gradually as it becomes evidently repetitive and stretched with the sole aim to arrive at a big reveal towards the end. The disclosure at the end appears to be immature, cloudy and unconvincing. Even for one night, had the child been awake, he could have woken his mother up and told her that she is blabbering weird murder stories while asleep.
Certain plotlines also appear to make no sense. No further details are shown regarding the people (the police, it would appear) who were following Magistrate John Baby and that particular plotline gets cut off abruptly. Also, Vishwanathan seems to be remorseful, having apparently been part of a group that murdered quite a few people, thus blurting out his sinful adventures to Sharmila's mother for mental peace and revival. If indeed, he had been too regretful, why would he go about killing her? It is even stupider to think that an aged and conscience-stricken Vishwanathan would then venture to kill Sharmila's daughter.
Nizhal had its moments but it falters due to an unconvincing script and a mindless end.
****
With a bright shining start, a conspicuous Nizhal makes a solid impression. It looks promising with an interesting premise, picturesque shots and intriguing background scores.
However, Nizhal starts to fade away gradually as it becomes evidently repetitive and stretched with the sole aim to arrive at a big reveal towards the end. The disclosure at the end appears to be immature, cloudy and unconvincing. Even for one night, had the child been awake, he could have woken his mother up and told her that she is blabbering weird murder stories while asleep.
Certain plotlines also appear to make no sense. No further details are shown regarding the people (the police, it would appear) who were following Magistrate John Baby and that particular plotline gets cut off abruptly. Also, Vishwanathan seems to be remorseful, having apparently been part of a group that murdered quite a few people, thus blurting out his sinful adventures to Sharmila's mother for mental peace and revival. If indeed, he had been too regretful, why would he go about killing her? It is even stupider to think that an aged and conscience-stricken Vishwanathan would then venture to kill Sharmila's daughter.
Nizhal had its moments but it falters due to an unconvincing script and a mindless end.
We deserve better psychological thrillers than this! [+41%]
arungeorge1311 May 2021
A weak attempt at creating a psychological thriller, Nizhal feels drab from its very first shot - doused in bizarre-looking CGI. The core plot does intrigue, but there's an entire act dedicated to the protagonist's PTSD which gets conveniently ignored and has zero payoffs in the end. What was even the point? The mask, the rains, the atrociously loud background score - all of it feels gimmicky as hell. Nayanthara is criminally underutilized here - there's nothing in Nizhal that truly challenges the actor in return for a nice, fat paycheck. The script contains psychological thriller elements but the way they're visualized on-screen is lacklustre. I'm disappointed by Appu N Bhattathiri's directorial debut - this is clearly no edge-of-the-seat thriller.
Decent Thriller !
saijaikanth11 May 2021
First of all, the story line is very much different from what we have seen all these days in such kinda movies.
When it comes to execution, the technical department has done exceptionally well and the suspense is maintained till the very end.
Climax is a bit disappointing.
Give it a watch for the cinematography, BGM and the story line. And of course for the performances of lead cast and the kid needs a special mention.
When it comes to execution, the technical department has done exceptionally well and the suspense is maintained till the very end.
Climax is a bit disappointing.
Give it a watch for the cinematography, BGM and the story line. And of course for the performances of lead cast and the kid needs a special mention.
A dull, drab thriller that criminally under-utilizes Nayanthara
nidhunmoviebuff10 May 2021
Despite a smooth, flowing and aesthetically pleasing narrative style from debutant director Appu N Bhattathiri and an earnest lead performance from Kunchacko Boban, a simplistic, unsatisfactory climax reduces Nizhal to a below-average watch.
Kunchacko Boban stars as a judge who takes interest in a strange case while recovering from a bout of PTSD following an accident. Nayanthara's character comes into his life as a stereotypical single mom who in desperate need of a saviour for her troubled son,
In a criminally underwritten role, an actor of Nayanthara's stature is reduced to a one-dimensional caricature and it makes you wonder why she even opted for this movie.
What promises to be a psychological thriller loses itself slowly as it delves into the supernatural, due to half-baked and unconvincing writing.
While there have been many success stories of murder investigations clubbed with elements of the supernatural (Pretham, Ezra etc), this isn't one.
In the new Golden age of Malayalam thrillers of the likes of Anjaam Paathiraa, Operation Java and Drishyam 2, this is just a pale, uninspiring attempt.
Not recommended.
Kunchacko Boban stars as a judge who takes interest in a strange case while recovering from a bout of PTSD following an accident. Nayanthara's character comes into his life as a stereotypical single mom who in desperate need of a saviour for her troubled son,
In a criminally underwritten role, an actor of Nayanthara's stature is reduced to a one-dimensional caricature and it makes you wonder why she even opted for this movie.
What promises to be a psychological thriller loses itself slowly as it delves into the supernatural, due to half-baked and unconvincing writing.
While there have been many success stories of murder investigations clubbed with elements of the supernatural (Pretham, Ezra etc), this isn't one.
In the new Golden age of Malayalam thrillers of the likes of Anjaam Paathiraa, Operation Java and Drishyam 2, this is just a pale, uninspiring attempt.
Not recommended.
Unnecessary build up to a childish story
nitheshgopi12 May 2021
This movie builds up as if there is a serious story and issue up their sleeve but in reality it is very childish and boring. Technical side is good but story and screenplay is a real let down. There is no thrill in the story and it is a drag for most part. This films making is in exact opposite to the recently released and excellent movie Nayattu. Which had very realistic making with no extra build up and relied on the story to thrill and create seat edge moments. This movie doesn't make any impact to the audience and had a childish story in its core which is real let down. They should have worked on it more and made an interesting as the base to start with.
Way too long
dannair16 May 2021
This movie would have been way more impactful had it been atleast half an hour shorter. A good portion of the film has the characters talking to each other in coffee shops with not much going on and I honestly struggled to keep my eyes open. There are several unnecessary conversations in the film that could have been left at the editing table. The only purpose it serves is to bore the viewer. All the main exposition happens in the last 15min or so and when you look back you realise a lot of the slow scenes in the beginning had very little to do with the actual crux of the film. However this is a decent watch and makes you wonder what the heck is going on. I just wished they told it with a sense of urgency.
Worth watching
deepudp5 June 2021
A DULL THRILLER
kiranvs-0252311 May 2021
There are lot of plot holes made movie a dull one. Actually movie have a good start but with a boring story plot made movie bitter pill to swallow. Some characters have nothing to do in movie they just came all the scene .Director had successed to builtup the tension with first half but climax failed miserably. With these all builtup climax not intact with firsthalf. In the end audience have so much question and that did'nt get from the movie.
The build up of the first half did not stand up to the ending
ananyakalkuli3 June 2021
First half of the movie was promising, it looked different. Even though movie is slow they have definitely kept it engaging. The ending to the movie did not make so much of a good impact at all. Was definitely expecting so much better script for a nayanthara movie!!!
Good Thriller Experience
visakh_r903 July 2021
Totally different theme
ragesh-m12 May 2021
Not upto any of my expectation
ajuarjunsudhakar9 April 2021
I won't completely suggest you to go and see this movie in big screen. Excellent acting, Good direction, Awesome camera work, bit poor on vfx. Over triller movie. I am not an excellent reviewer, still just said as a normal audience perspective. Some might like it some won', there is no wow factor in the story.
A treat for thriller enthusiasts.
sid-s-kamath17 May 2021
The plotline of this thriller is a rather unconventional one; but very enjoyably so. As the movie progresses, the plot thickens with constant twists and turns that'll keep you gripped and guessing till the very end. Since the movie builds up a good amount of suspense, I was worried that the climax of the movie will fail to deliver like most movies that start off strong and end flat. But to my surprise, the climax was rather satisfactory, albeit slightly over the top (no pun intended). On close scrutiny, you'll start noticing that a lot of the nuances in the plotline seem to very conveniently fall in place; however if you choose to overlook these minor practicality issues (which you should in my humble opinion), you are sure to enjoy this oddball thriller. Most of the cast put up a pretty decent performance; however, the performances of Kunchacko Boban as John Baby and Rony David as Rajan were truly exceptional and stood out from the rest. To add to that, great cinematography (albeit with average CGI), great sound design, great direction and a very good pace make this movie a definite WATCH.
A tale of two halves
ravikrishhnan11 April 2021
A good movie which is a bit slow paced for my liking. However, it is a good story (for the most part). A few, like me, might have wondered how the story would end, and that is where, i felt the movie fell flat. A gripping and enticing story till the interval and thereafter it struggles as it tries to reach the end. All characters were well cast. I feel the making was not up to par and the fact that the thread of the story could not be well developed are the downsides of the film. Overall its a decent thriller movie that could have been a great thriller.
15 min short film streached to a movie
harikathakal13 May 2021
Save your time and avoid this movie. Cliche story, nothing new. The movie could have been at least average if the editor could reduce the length by 40 min. Literally had to forward the movie, such was the redundancy in storytelling.
Interesting thread but making was disaster
SPHariSP10 May 2021
How could the director make such a disaster out of an interesting, mysterious and thrilling story element??
First part is quite slow and boring, by interval it picks up some steam but some how do not impress even after that. Supposed to be a thriller , but editing seems very drama'ish.
The kid was good, Lal was good that's pretty much it Chackochan special getup was impressive at first but ended up useless , coz it had no significance in the story.
Critical elements like nayantara dubbing , some casting, consistency of characters etc seems so amateurish, especially the background score was so bad!!
The lady who act as psychologist usually act well, but in this movie she acts weird trying to show bold which was not even needed 😊
Some how all comedy bits have failed miserably, some due to wrong casting (judge assistant lady, cid etc) and other scenes due to bad making skills.
First part is quite slow and boring, by interval it picks up some steam but some how do not impress even after that. Supposed to be a thriller , but editing seems very drama'ish.
The kid was good, Lal was good that's pretty much it Chackochan special getup was impressive at first but ended up useless , coz it had no significance in the story.
Critical elements like nayantara dubbing , some casting, consistency of characters etc seems so amateurish, especially the background score was so bad!!
The lady who act as psychologist usually act well, but in this movie she acts weird trying to show bold which was not even needed 😊
Some how all comedy bits have failed miserably, some due to wrong casting (judge assistant lady, cid etc) and other scenes due to bad making skills.
Loved it
jinufrancis18 September 2023
As a south Indian movie lover, specially Malayalam movies it's a engaging movie for me. I loved the plot, story and specially I loved the BGM and the excellent camera work. Kunchako boban and nayantharaa has excellent job as per their roles. The little boy who played the character of Niti, some of his expressions really gave me goosebumps.
Now, I would like to mention one thing that, everyone will not be satisfied with this movie and the reason is the climax. Climax was good, logical to an extent but it could be more better. Everyone wlil wait for a Thrilling climax but maybe they'll be disappointed.
Overall It's a One time watch and decent Movie from the Malayalam movie industry I loved the movie.
Now, I would like to mention one thing that, everyone will not be satisfied with this movie and the reason is the climax. Climax was good, logical to an extent but it could be more better. Everyone wlil wait for a Thrilling climax but maybe they'll be disappointed.
Overall It's a One time watch and decent Movie from the Malayalam movie industry I loved the movie.
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