Once Upon a Time in Kochi Review: Arjun Ashokan Narco Thriller With Same Old Nadirsha Masala

Once Upon a Time in Kochi, directed by Nadirsha, is the same old cinema. The villain, hero, and heroine meet at a juncture, and finally, the hero survives as the villain and his gang fall one by one. If stereotypes had a god and it could be named Nadirsha, it wouldn’t be a wrong call. In other words, the hero, heroine, and several characters from Balarama and Balamangalam, famous Malayalam comics, join for a senseless ride for two hours, and you will leave the theater without even realizing why you wasted your time.

Though the movie is touted as a comedy entertainer, it is neither a comedy flick nor a thriller.

The story follows the fight against narcotics by a promising police officer and his struggles within and outside the system. In the process, he meets the heroine and her friends and they lead him to the villain and finally the police officer nabs the villains who control narco business in Kochi. This story, with usual Nadirsha gimmicks and stereotypical comedies, drags on for more than two hours and ends up as a nonsensical movie experience.

Arjun Ashokan, one of the best acting talents to emerge in Malayalam films in recent years, is heavily wasted along with the viewers’ time. This Arjun Ashokan is not the actor you saw in the Bhramayugam or Super Sharanya or Romancham. He simply did a wrong choice of character selection in the movie. He is good as a police officer and performs his role with clarity, though the writer and director lack it.

If Rafi wanted a launching pad for Mubin Raffi, he should have tried for a better script.

Timeline verdict: Why? Why would you want to do it?

Timeline rating: —- (we didn’t forget to fill the lines, but it doesn’t deserve a rating)

Crew:

Direction: Nadirsha
Writer: Raffi
Cast: Arjun Ashokan, Shine Tom Chacko, Johny Antony, Baiju Santhosh, Devika Sanjay, Jaffar Idukki, Samad, Mubin Rafi, Sudheer Karamana