After Aishwarya Lekshmi-starrer Archana 31 Not Out, another Malayalam film Upacharapoorvam Gunda Jayan is centered around a wedding. Directed by Arun Vaiga, the movie has Saiju Kurup, Sijo Wilson and Shabareesh Varma in lead roles. The great Indian wedding has been the plot device for innumerable movies and this one is no different. An ensemble drama, it revolves around a number of characters, most of them drawn like caricatures, who gather to attend a wedding.
We are introduced to Gunda Jayan (Saiju Kurup), once a feared goon who is now a respectable family man. Jayan may have changed his ways but he is still a man who inspires both fear and awe in his family. At his niece’s wedding, he is shown as a father figure who takes all the decisions. A typical patriarch who doesn’t bother about his niece’s choices and forces marriage upon her, he wants the wedding to happen without any incident so that he is relieved of his duties. The movie begins a day before the wedding as family members, relatives, wedding caterers and neighbours congregate.
Upacharapoorvam Gunda Jayan collects quite a menagerie — Hareesh Kanaran is the cook with mental health issues, Jonny Antony plays a womanising NRI relative, Sudheer Karamana is a former military man, Biju Sopanam is the man who finds fault with everything, Big Boss fame Sabumon essays the role of the family drunk, Vijilesh Karayad is irritated with the local cameraman who is frustrated by another pompous cameraman played by Shani Shaki, and Shabareesh Varma is the well-behaved neighbour. Everyone gets equal importance and has a role to play in turning the nuptials into total chaos.
Sijo Wilson appears as a friend of the bride who builds a rapport with the family members. But, what are his true intentions? We see him intentionally trying to sabotage the wedding. He throws away the keys of the only toilet at the wedding venue, leaving the guests flummoxed and adding toilet humour to the film.
Amidst all the chaos, the wedding still progresses, as a few other twists are introduced.
Though the movie is fun in parts, it has a limited premise with base humour. No character, including Gunda Jayan, is given enough screen space. Saiju Kurup brings vulnerability to his role even though story doesn’t give him much scope to perform. All other actors do justice to their characters and make their presence felt throughout the movie.
Eldo Isaac’s cinematography makes the movie engaging. Kiran Das’s editing keeps up with the chaotic pace of the movie. Songs composed by Bijibal blend well with the movie.