‘Lakshyam’ is a film which has all the thrills of a criminal investigation as well as that of human emotions that is age old. Set amidst the lush green forests, ‘Lakshyam’ is a commendable movie, which is interesting to watch. As the title suggest there is a “lakshyam” which the duo are trying to reach or unravel. The first half of the movie is promising and packs a punch. In spite of the predictability of the second half, ‘Lakshyam’ is a decent outing.
Two jailed convicts are being transferred to Ernakulam jail. An accident along the way allows them to escape, however handcuffed together. Vimal Kumar (Indrajith), an IT professional is a murder convict and Mustafa (Biju Menon) is a petty thief who is a familiar face for the police. Fate has bound them together and now they must cross the deep dark forest to escape. There is more to Vimal's tale and which we get to know of through the flashbacks in the middle of their journey.
This half has been convincingly narrated with the forest sequences and life of the duo chained together depicted well. The interval also packs quite a punch and viewers would look forward for the second half. The thriller mode is well taken. Vimal's quest to kind the real murderer along with Mustafa keeps us engrossed. However, things becomes very predictable in the second half and we can very well guess the unfolding of the events.
'Lakshyam's' narrative style is interesting with a back and forth narration and flashbacks. However the mind games in the second half is not engaging enough. The emotional quotient that the movie tries to explore in the second half doesn't really hit the target. What starts off promisingly gets kind of jaded as the second half unrolls. Some of those visuals also like that bear sequence stretches the effect and could have been done away with.
This is the first time that Jeethu Joseph is scripting for someone else. And the script is fine though not entirely flawless. Debutant director Anzar Khan seems talented enough to carry such a tale well. It is interesting to see Anzar moulding the tale in the typical Jeethu Joseph style. Indrajith has done a neat job as Vimal and Biju Menon is good as the rustic Mustafa. There are those Biju Menon style comedy in the movie which kicks the monotony. Shivada has a limited role but looks good on screen. Music and editing are passable. Camera is great and those sequences in the forest have been well panned with some experimentation added.
'Lakshyam' is a passable entertainer and could be watched for some great survival tactics in the deep and an interesting Indrajith- Biju Menon combo.
