19(1)(A) Movie Review: Nithya Menen-Vijay Sethupathi’s Film Is A Missed Opportunity

19(1)(A),
the
Malayalam
film
that
features
Nithya
Menen
and
Vijay
Sethupathi
in
the
lead
roles,
has
finally
been
released
on
Disney+
Hotstar.
The
movie,
which
is
helmed
by
newcomer
Indhu
VS,
features
Indrajith
Sukumaran
in
a
pivotal
role.

19(1)(A),
which
is
scripted
by
director
Indhu
VS
herself,
marks
both
Nithya
Menen
and
Vijay
Sethupathi’s
comeback
to
Malayalam
cinema
after
a
long
gap.

Does
the
political
drama
impress
the
viewers?
Read

19(1)(A)
movie
review
here
to
know…

What’s
Yay:

The
subject,
some
performances,
cinematography

What’s
Nay:

Lack
of
conviction
in
writing
and
making,
open
ends

Plot

A
young
woman
(Nithya
Menen)
takes
charge
of
her
father’s
photocopy
shop,
and
her
life
is
restricted
to
that
routine.
However,
things
change
after
she
crosses
paths
with
Gauri
Shankar
(Vijay
Sethupathi),
a
human
rights
activist
and
writer.
He
leaves
a
highly
explosive
manuscript
in
her
custody.
What
happens
next
forms
the
crux
of
the
story.

Script
&
Direction

Director
Indhu
VS
has
crafted
a
film
that
deals
with
a
highly
sensitive
topic,
Article
19
(Freedom
of
speech
and
expression).
The
film
begins
on
a
promising
note,
and
its
premise
and
characters
are
established
well.
But
despite
this,

19(1)(A)
restricted
itself
to
a
half-baked
movie
experience,
which
leaves
the
viewers
unsatisfied.
The
lazy
writing
that
fails
to
bring
conviction
to
the
plot
plays
the
biggest
spoilsport
here.

None
of
the
characters
including
the
protagonist
played
by
Nithya
Menen
or
Vijay
Sethupathi’s
Gauri
Shankar
or
Indrajith
Sukumaran’s
Anand,
get
a
proper
arc.
The
back
story
of
the
leading
lady
and
the
portrayal
of
her
mundane
life
come
across
as
shallow
and
plain
boring
after
a
point.
Despite
having
a
runtime
below
2
hours,

19(1)(A)
becomes
a
tiring
watch
–
owing
to
the
over-stuffed
plot
and
uninspired
writing.

Performances

Nithya
Menen
has
delivered
a
decent
performance
as
the
protagonist
of
the
story.
Vijay
Sethupathi’s
signature
style
of
performance
makes
Gauri
Shankar
somewhat
memorable.
The
rest
of
the
star
cast,
including
Indrajith
Sukumaran,
Indrans,
Deepak
Parambol,
Bhagath
Manuel,
Sree
Lakshmi,
and
others
are
fine
in
their
respective
roles.

Technical
Aspects

Manesh
Madhavan
scores
with
decent
visuals.
Govind
Vasantha’s
background
score
is
not
up
to
the
mark.
The
songs
too,
are
forgettable.

Verdict

19(1)(A)
had
the
potential
to
become
a
relevant
piece
of
cinema
with
its
subject
but
ends
up
as
a
missed
opportunity.
You
can
watch
the
film
on
Disney+
Hotstar.