I, Nobody review: Prithviraj, Nobody, has a plan but the film doesn’t
I, Nobody review: Director Nissam Bashir’s I, Nobody, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Parvathy Thiruvothu and Vijayaraghavan, is a heist thriller that also serves as a social commentary. While the premise and its treatment grab your attention, the story is stretched far beyond its potential.
The world always teaches you that you are nothing in the big scheme of things. Prithviraj Sukumaran and Parvati me, no one Explores a similar theme, but goes one step further and asks a much more urgent question: What doesn’t one have to do to get justice? In a key scene of the film, a police officer explains the concept of the food chain to Prithviraj’s Rajeevan – but with a twist. The grasshopper at the bottom of the pyramid should not eat only grass. It must eat the frog that hunts it. The world is cutting throat like this.
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Rajeevan is a government employee and father of two daughters Jiya and Amala. His wife Meera manages the household, her work and the children despite not interacting with her husband. As they quietly live their everyday lives, a bank robbery occurs – and all links point to Rajeevan.
One thing leads to another, and Rajeevan is declared a criminal, with the police frequently visiting his house. Meera pleads with him to reveal whatever he knows. He remains silent. What is his role in the robbery? If he is innocent, how can an ordinary person get out of a situation where every clue points towards him? All of these were answered over the course of two hours and 48 minutes.
me, no one is a slow moving heist drama. It takes a while for the story to settle down, but when it does, it draws you in. Rajeevan may seem like a normal man, but his nuanced expressions and sharp mind already hint that he has a big role to play in the heist. Instead of focusing on how the heist is planned and executed, director Nisam Bashir focuses on what’s going on inside Rajeevan’s mind and how he intends to escape unscathed.
Rajeevan is no superman – he gets beaten, hurt, but his mind is so clear that he knows that his one mistake cannot ruin his wife and children. me, no one Works best as a character study of this man. Meera is also not just a housewife and caregiver. She has a mind of her own and does not hesitate to scold Rajeevan when his choices overshadow her and her children’s lives.
Writer Sameer Abdul’s choice of non-linear narration effectively builds momentum in the first half. However, the film drags after the interval. Each reveal is explained and then rehashed, prompting you to think ‘we’ve got this, let’s move on’ before the next reveal. By the time the final action arrives, the payoff is not as effective as it should be. Dinesh Purushottam’s cinematography is one of the real strengths of the film – elevator fight sequences and tracking slow-motion shots are supported by Nixon George’s sound design. I am nobody’s Best moment.
Prithviraj delivers a restrained performance, but his one-note expressions throughout much of the film dilutes its overall impact. Parvathy as Meera is convincing at every level – as a woman, a wife and a mother – and gives the best performance in the film. The supporting cast does justice to their respective roles without much scope for elaboration.
me, no one Could have easily been 30 minutes less. It overstays its welcome, and it keeps it from the greatness it clearly aspires to. The promise of a heist thriller with a fresh script treatment is real – only a stumble in the last act stops it from getting there.