A Middling Mourning Comedy That Amuses in Parts

VIPIN'S Vyasanasametham Bandhumithradhikal sets out to be a quirky funeral comedy soaked in situational humour and social satire.

- VIVEK SANTHOSH

VIPIN'S Vyasanasametham Bandhumithradhikal sets out to be a quirky funeral comedy soaked in situational humour and social satire. While it shows flashes of promise, it ultimately struggles to piece its many threads into a cohesive and impactful whole. The film tries to follow in the footsteps of other dark comedies that thrive on funeral-house chaos but struggles to string its gags into anything memorable. The film begins with a deliciously odd moment. One night, Savithriyamma (Mallika Sukumaran), a woman in her seventies, sees an obituary of a fellow septuagenarian woman she knows. She quietly clicks a picture of it and hands her phone to her granddaughter Anjali (Anaswara Rajan). The request? To make it her WhatsApp status. When a confused Anjali asks why, the reply is pure gold: "Makkalu koottukarude photo birthday kk okke status aakki idille? Athu pole thanne ithum." Because, obviously, death is just a different kind of milestone. When asked if she wanted a flower emoji added, Savithriyamma ups the ante: "Randu love um koode itto." The humour lands. That one moment, delivered with deadpan precision, encapsulates the film's best quality, poking fun at how generational responses to grief have evolved in this digital age. The tone is set.