What Is the Story About?
Nagendran is many moons past his youth but is yet to find his feet in life and is constantly chided by his mom for his irresponsible ways. In return for a favour, a friend promises to take him to the Gulf. Having to shell out a huge sum for the trip, he hatches a plot to earn the money through dowry and says yes to marriage. When his plan backfires, he and Soman turn conmen, luring woman after woman.
Performances?
Suraj Venjaramoodu and Alexander Prasanth occupy a major chunk of the screentime. Much like the screenplay, the duo has nothing new to offer in terms of their performances, beyond a point. The script doesn’t have any situation that even remotely tests their mettle. Suraj fares slightly better in the final episode, where his conscience eats him up.
Most of the leading ladies – from Shweta Menon to Kani Kusruti to Ammu Abhirami, Alphy Panjikaran, Grace Antony and Niranjana Anoop – get half-baked, vanilla roles sans any spunk. Kalabhavan Shajohn grabs the only character (of a cop) that is of equal significance to Suraj and Alexander’s roles and he makes a mark within the limited screentime.
Analysis
Kaaval, Kasaba fame Nithin Renji Panicker (son of actor-filmmaker Renji Panicker) makes his OTT debut with Nagendran’s Honeymoons, a story of a conman Nagendran, who marries five times to fulfil his dream of settling down in the Gulf. Across six episodes, the show offers a peek into his lazy, laidback lifestyle and the various backstories of the women he traps.
Nagendran’s Honeymoons is a product of lazy writing and filmmaking, driven by a nauseating, dull screenplay that makes little effort to excite a viewer. The premise, which feels like a distant cousin of Upendra’s Buddhimantha and the Tamil film Naan Avan Illai, is rather simplistic, focusing on the travails of a conmen duo, who’re on the run after robbing money from multiple women.
The director, producer Nithin gives the been-there-seen-that story a new dimension with its 1970s backdrop, where the culprits have an added advantage of escaping scot-free. The modus operandi of the protagonists is straightforward – they change their identities across regions and find prospective women who have no option but to yield to their demands.
While Nagendran first marries Janaki, a girl chosen by his mother, he later moves on to Lillykutty, a deranged woman, who nearly takes him for a ride. He soon ties the knot with an aggressive Muslim woman Laila, who’d served a jail sentence after killing her husband. His other victims include a Brahmin girl Savithri, a prostitute Thangam and a supposedly innocent girl Mozhi.
Among the victims, the episodes involving Thangam and Lillykutty are the least memorable of the lot. Laila’s story starts well, though the unimaginative narration spoils all the fun. With Savithri’s episode, Nithin’s idea to use background score (without dialogue) to offer a glimpse of her past is innovative. There’s a smart twist to Mozhi’s episode that adds bite to the proceedings.
But for the varied backdrops (which don’t offer much scope for entertainment), the screenplay gets increasingly repetitive. The show gathers some momentum when a cop (brother to one of the victims) makes a desperate effort to trace Nagendran and Soman’s whereabouts towards the end. The climactic revelation is smart though it’s not enough for the narrative to wake up from its slumber.
The main problem with Nagendran’s Honeymoons is the absence of a strong obstacle (except for the final episode). The protagonists are barely challenged during their escapes. There’s nothing to distract you from the dullness of the execution. The team doesn’t aim and even deliver much and it’s such a shame given the talents involved in its making.
Music and Other Departments?
Composer Ranjin Raj, an expert at dramas and thrillers, is left in a sorry situation with the wayward screenplay – sans many highs or lows. On a paper level, it appears as if the team gave up on the show midway. If there’s anything that infuses some life into the series, it’s the cinematography, celebrating Kerala’s backwaters, lush green landscapes and varied terrains. The show, as a damage control measure, could’ve conveniently been trimmed to four episodes.
Highlights?
Suraj Venjaramoodu, Kalabhavan Shajohn’s performances
Appealing cinematography
Good climactic twist
Drawbacks?
Nauseating screenplay
Little variety across the subplots
Zilch entertainment value
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Nagendran’s Honeymoons Review by Binged Bureau
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