It’s not often we see a film where the background score does as much storytelling as the writer and director. Composer Mujeeb Majeed’s work is perfectly attuned to the needs of the new film from the writer-director duo behind last year’s blockbuster, Kishkindha Kaandam. The composition, coupled with the perceptive editing skills of Sooraj E.S., couldn’t get more symbiotic.
And in a film that doesn’t like to spell out everything for the viewer — a film that believes in making us work for it — it’s essential to have a music producer who has an excellent grasp of the material he is working with. For that, the material has to be… excellent. Eko is just that — absolutely mind-blowing!
If you thought Kishkindha Kaandam was the peak of writer-cinematographer Bahul Ramesh’s storytelling prowess, wait till you see Eko, starring Sandeep Pradeep, Vineeth, Ashokan, and some surprise casting choices that’s better left for viewers to discover. Eko is the kind of film that “film critics” who write the entire story of the movie in the review might find challenging to describe.
I can tell you which classic Malayalam filmmaker’s work Eko reminded me of. Fans of K.G. George’s supreme masterpieces in the mystery genre like Ee Kanni Koodi, Irakal, and Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback should find immense delight in this perception-altering Rubik’s Cube of a film that sets up multiple characters with secrets both destructive and empowering, backstories that may or may not be true, and a hitherto unseen and refreshing twist on the man-animal bond and parallels.
Bahul’s script works like a rich mystery novel that transcends the typical “airport novel” category of writing. The material is a fertile ground for Dinjith to mine some evocative, at times poignant imagery that opts to let our imagination to play out the more hard-hitting moments. The team devises some clever, sensible methods to explain key developments. There are parts where you feel the impact of a complex ethical dilemma so deeply.
There is one particular example — a pivotal flashback — where you cannot imagine any other alternative. Some things had to be done, even if saddening. But then Bahul is careful not to let us take comfort in that thought. It’s when he presents the actual, complete truth in the film’s closing moments that you realise that there was indeed another possibility and that the person you perceived in a certain way up until that point may have another side. And I’m not just talking about one character.
Had this script been in the hands of someone else, you would’ve found forceful and relatively more on-the-nose ways of explaining events that are supposed to take us by surprise. But Bahul’s writing finds apt timing for each reveal — not just that, but how much to reveal, and when.
I mentioned in my review of Kerala Crime Files Season 2 that Bahul’s writing resembles very much that of Christopher Nolan, in that they relish the idea of playing around with time, and going back and forth whenever it’s time to bring to light new information that we earlier didn't ponder simply because we were engaged in a unidirectional thought process until that point.
Keko jumps between different eras and multiple perspectives, drawing an intriguing, near-mystical picture of legends whose dubious escapades span decades, with far-reaching ramifications. It gives the storytelling a Latin American flair. Eko demonstrates that when the individuals themselves suggest many colourful backstories, one doesn't need to look to lofty spectacle to embellish them. At one point, the sound of a nearby explosion is enough to convey a period of historical significance. This is economical storytelling at its best. We are not told which period it is set in. It leaves you to put two and two together, with little details sprinkled here and there. Absolutely no need for padding it up. This is a two-hour film with the weight of a three-hour film, but is supremely confident that it can tell its story without taking an extra hour.
The performances are exceptional across the board, whether it's Sandeep Pradeep, Vineeth, Ashokan, Narain, and everyone else cast against type. Eko is another feather in Sandeep’s cap. This is his time. The man has been grabbing all the right projects. Among the younger crop of actors, I find him more interesting than someone like, say, Naslen.
There are more things to say about this film, but I’d rather people rushed to the theatre to see it instead of wasting too much time reading reviews. It's better to read as little as possible before going for it. I know it's hard, but I'd suggest staying away from social media until after you've watched it.
Film: Eko
Director: Dinjith Ayyathan
Cast: Sandeep Pradeep, Vineeth, Ashokan, Narain, Saheer Mohammed, Binu Pappu, Renjit Sekhar, Saurabh Sachdeva
Rating: 5/5
