Based on the real incident that happened in 2006, Manjummel Boys revolves around a group of friends going on a trip to Kodaikanal and illegally entering the restricted Guna Caves, also known as Devil's Kitchen. On of the friend accidently falls into the deep pit and thus begins the survival thriller as historically, nobody has been rescued from that pit and the race against time to save the friend begins when the friends are left with only hope to fight back, after the authorities leave them with no choice. Will the hope help them find a way to bring back their friend alive, forms rest of the story.
The first half begins on a normal note, introducing the characters and their harmless feud with another gang. The film truly begins once the gang reaches Kodaikanal and from there onwards, it is one hell of an rollercoaster ride. It led to several moments that caught me speechless and even on the edge of the seat. It is also the case of convenient writing being the trump card and the way several moments circle back to an earlier scene be it the tug of war or the mini flashbacks of their childhood to the biggie aka the classic Guna song. I clapped hard at couple of scenes towards the end and especially the insertion of the Guna song which was top notch.
Sure, the film's convenient writing simply paints the Kodaikanal police to be utterly inconsiderate for the dramatic staging and it takes it bit too far when they choose one of the friend to be sent down the pit to rescue, but the tense narrative makes up for it as these scenes in the end simply work. Digging further would involve me sharing the spoilers and I really do not want to do that. As far as Indian cinema goes, survival dramas are far less and among the good ones are even lesser. Here comes a solid film that has a near perfect execution and it definitely is a must watch on the big screen. Kudos to the Manjummel Boys team for pulling this off.
The first half begins on a normal note, introducing the characters and their harmless feud with another gang. The film truly begins once the gang reaches Kodaikanal and from there onwards, it is one hell of an rollercoaster ride. It led to several moments that caught me speechless and even on the edge of the seat. It is also the case of convenient writing being the trump card and the way several moments circle back to an earlier scene be it the tug of war or the mini flashbacks of their childhood to the biggie aka the classic Guna song. I clapped hard at couple of scenes towards the end and especially the insertion of the Guna song which was top notch.
Sure, the film's convenient writing simply paints the Kodaikanal police to be utterly inconsiderate for the dramatic staging and it takes it bit too far when they choose one of the friend to be sent down the pit to rescue, but the tense narrative makes up for it as these scenes in the end simply work. Digging further would involve me sharing the spoilers and I really do not want to do that. As far as Indian cinema goes, survival dramas are far less and among the good ones are even lesser. Here comes a solid film that has a near perfect execution and it definitely is a must watch on the big screen. Kudos to the Manjummel Boys team for pulling this off.