Ivide (2015) User Reviews

Ivide is another great movie from National Award winning director Shyamaprasad. The movie begins as a Crime Thriller, but later explores lot many deeper and pertinent issues.

[binducherungath · 7/10 · 2 June 2015]

Ivide (ഇവിടെ) is a Malayalam film by National Award winning director Shyamaprasad. He has crafted the film so well. The movie which appears to be an investigation effort to solve the murder mystery, later explores the human relationships, inner conflicts leading to turbulence in life, do manipulations to grow in the corporate ladder, being self-centered. The threads are woven in such a manner that it also appeared to be drug paddler's story or story of the ones who lost their jobs due to outsourcing. It also talks about racism, east-west culture difference. Shyamaprasad doesn't attempt to rationalize the plots, rather he brilliantly tells the story of every character. The movie is very engaging. Every frame is vital which makes one glued to the screen. Shyamaprasad's passion for filmmaking is evident.

The story is set in Atlanta (USA). An Indian by origin Nagesh Rao (Haridev) is going on a date with an American girl. But after that he is shown to be murdered and the investigating officer who has got the responsibility to solve the murder case is none other than Varun Blake (Prithviraj). Varun tries to find the connect between the last few murders happened in the city.

Krish Hebber (Nivin Pauly) is a top-notch corporate professional with Infotech, one of the most successful IT company in Atlanta. Krish is very confident that he is the reason of success of his organization, who worked hard to rise from a programmer to one of the top position of Infotech. Initially he is shown to be task as well as people-focused leader. He is shown as a traditional guy, who still believes in his roots to do Puja in the beginning (clubbed with his work though), skypes to family back home, take care of employees, celebrates employees' birthdays, assertively communicating regarding what he wants as far as the task is concerned. He is also shown as manipulator at times. One of the new recruit in his organization is Roshni Mathew (Bhavana). Roshni incidentally is the ex-wife of Varun, who left him because of his violent / insecure behaviour.

Varun was 6 year old orphan (in Kerala) when he was adopted by an American Couple. Though he is aware that his adoption gave him a very nice life, he is also facing lot of inner struggles due to bad experiences he had due to his dark skin and racism. And these reflect in his approach towards life, work and relationships. Varun's inner conflict to compromise with his existing relationship is clear, when he gets up to attend to duty calls, writes a note to her, strikes 'love you' and then writes a fresh note without 'love you.' His vulnerabilities are also shown.

Till here, the movie which appeared to be a murder mystery, starts moving to explore the complexities of relationships, blooming of new relationships, strong ambition and drive to be successful etc.

Varun does visit and spend time with his daughter Trisha (Jia) as per his visitation rights. Varun and Roshni maintain the distance in relationship. As expected, Krish and Roshni grow closer.

How does the story shape up further? What happens to the relationship of Varun and his girl friend? What turns out to be the fate of Roshni's relationship with Krish and Varun? How and when does Varun and Krish's paths cross each other? Who was the serial killer? What was the intention behind murders? Towards the end, Prithviraj's action is influenced by the quotation (by Buddha) which he read: "In the end, only three things matter: How much you loved, how gently you lived and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you." Any guess on climax?

Regarding cast, Prithviraj is excellent. He has captured the American accent, diction so well. Nivin Pauly is also very good. Bhavna is good.

Certain scenes were dealt incompletely. It is not clear, why Krish was not happy to meet Roshni who was once his classmate. It gave an impression in the beginning that they might have had some liking / relationship with each other, whereas it was not at all mentioned in the movie. In spite of being uncomfortable with her joining the office, from the next meeting onwards, it is shown Krish comfortably dealing with Roshni. I did feel a disconnect here.

Another incident, where I felt that the screenplay left it as such, is video footage showing the suspect interacting with the victim just a few moments before murder. Suspect's back was towards camera, and the back-side image seemed to be of Krish. This did not see closure in the movie, why Krish was there and what he was doing with the victim.

Two things which made me wonder and question the intention behind the same is naming the organization as Infotech and one of the top boss as Mahesh Murthy. Watch out to notice this, is this a sheer coincidence?

But overall, I enjoyed watching this gripping film. You may not enjoy this movie, if you want fun element in this movie. But if you want to enjoy the story, screenplay, smooth transition from one subject to the other, suspense etc. Ivide is meant for you.

Ivide is another great movie from National Award winning director Shyamaprasad. The movie begins as a Crime Thriller, but later explores lot many deeper and pertinent issues.

A brilliantly directed film :)

[sandyfy315 · 7/10 · 22 August 2015]

Ivide - Is a 'pretty good' emotional thriller (if that's the right genre !!! ) which is directed 'brilliantly' by ShyamaPrasad. It follows a narrative style which wouldn't be lapped up too easily by the Malayali audiences and has it's right mix of human emotions/characteristics put in for the characters to complement the main murder mystery investigation it deals with.. Though a tad slow , as expected, it never really moves into a 'boring and irritating mode' and the sciprtwriter deserves credit for keeping the interest levels up throughout the movie:) Though Nivin Pauly is not too bad, this is one movie which gives ample evidence that he has a long way to go before being tagged 'the next superstar' :) No such complaints though about Prithviraj , who is 'absolutely awesome' in the role of the 'troubled' police officer and puts in yet another memorable performance smile emoticon Bhavana complements the two lead actors well and is supported well by the rest of the cast smile emoticon All in all, its a 'classy and quality' product which will have its set of fans and critics.

A disciplined movie ..but fails to win youths..

[arathul · 7/10 · 2 June 2015]

Ivide is a complicated movie directed by Shyamaprasad who is well known for his brilliance in his direction . Ivide also has got its touch of Shyamaprasads brilliance but it fails in winning the hearts of the youth as the complicated story line of the film does not appeal with the youngsters.Doing well with the casting of the film, Ivide comprises the life story of three characters , Krish Hebbal(Nivin Pauly) ,Blake(Prithviraj) and Roshini(Bhavana) .The whole crew in front of the camera did well in expressing their emotions as it is usually found in Shyamaprasads movies. One should not enter the movie house with thought of refreshment.Ivide is a complicated movie portraying the lifestyle of different characters which will be clearly understood with a loose and clear mind.First time in mollywood .. a director crafts a movie of Hollywood standards...I prefer this movie to any other slow movies as this one is a standard complicated well crafted movie.

"A Passable Emotional Drama Letdown By Loose Screenplay"

[afsalthodupuzha · 6/10 · 30 May 2015]

Typical Shyamaprasad narrative meets rich production values - that's 'Ivide' in a nutshell.The biggest culprit here is the promotional strategy that labeled the movie to be a stylish crime thriller when literally the movie was yet another trademark Shyamprasad drama that's centered around few characters,their emotions and conflicts in mind.Audience who expect a taut thriller are sure to be letdown by the proceedings as the narration lacks the much needed energy that one would associate with a movie of the genre.

Mostly narrated in English with little use of Malayalam,the movie can boast of richness in frames and expertise in handling Hollywood style narration that's never seen before in Mollywood,but lack of a strong plot and an intriguing screenplay is evident,limiting the movie from being called a thrilling cop-drama.Other than stylish frames,realistic approach to narration,well-utilized sync sound technology,some touching moments in between and a brilliant performance from Prithviraj Sukumaran,Ivide is a slow-paced drama that fails to evoke necessary thrills for keeping the audience engaged through its running time.

There isn't much depth in the Screenplay by Ajayan Venugopalan which is weak and engaging only in bits and parts.Lag is felt throughout the narration and even though the duration is around 140 minutes,the movie feels over-stretched around a delicate plot that suffers largely due to mediocre scripting which fails to keep up the momentum going till the end of the narration in contradiction to many Shymaprasad movies in the past like Artist and Ore Kadal,to name a few.

Coming to the performances,Prithviraj was at his best portraying the role of Varun Blake impressively with perfect dialog delivery and mannerisms of one brought up at States.His immense screen presence and impressive dialogs are major highlights of the movie that makes the whole affair passable.Varun Blake is a worthy addition to his list of notable performances in the recent past and yet another feather in the cap of the talented actor.Nivin Pauly too did a really good job as Krish alongside Bhavana who managed to pull out a matured performance.The rest of the supporting cast that includes a good number of Hollywood actors made their presence felt through decent performances.

Frames by Eric Dickinson were brilliant and arguably the best part of the movie after Prithviraj.The rest of the technical department too did a neat job giving the movie a stylish look in a whole.Music and BGM by Gopi Sunder was in sync with the storyline and the song placement too went well without affecting the flow of narration..

Overall,Ivide is a disappointment considering it as a crime thriller,but a passable flick for the admirers of the director and those who love emotional dramas.

Verdict::Stylishly made with strong technical support and a stellar performance by Prithviraj Sukumaran,Ivide,alike Shyamaprasad movies in the past explores human emotions centered around the lead characters in detail.The intensity in conveying emotions being slightly on the lower side in comparison with many of his films in the past and elements of thrill being far and few in between,my suggestion is to keep the expectations low and chances are that you can find this emotional drama a decent one.Try this at your own risk! Ma Rating::6/10 _Afsal

average

[jobbinvincent · 6/10 · 30 May 2015]

the director is on his own old track.. no change.. its a slow movie and not fit to crime thriller... movie stretches a lot... cinematography and camera work was superb. i am giving 6 stars for that... some shots of the film seems exact like English movies.. its a inspiration to all movie lovers cause this may be the new face of the new generation Malayalam film..first half of the film moves slowly and after that story retain its thrill but later at climax it again losses its suspense especially in villain role..however in the final re union of bhavana and nivin was good ..it changed the usual cliché seen in Malayalam movies.

A Hollow Outing. ♦ 27%

[nairtejas · 3/10 · 29 May 2015]

Director Shyamaprasad is a crafty man whose films like Arike (2012) and Artist (2013) were subtle and original takes on relationships. However, his migration into the thriller/crime genre is hardly scintillating.

An orphan named Varun who has had a polished upbringing by his American foster parents still has qualms about him being brown and his parents being white. He grows up to become a detective (Sukumaran) with the Atlanta police which is currently investigating a case of serial killing throughout the country. Now, the investigation process and activities are handled rather dully by the writers, with the screenplay not providing much insight into the actual happenings. Everything is superficial. And by the time the plot becomes clear, it is half time already.

On the other side of the bland script are Hebbar (Pauly), an ambitious IT professional and his love interest Roshini (Bhavana), whose ex-husband is none other than Varun himself. So, now you get the idea as to how the story is interwoven. Unfortunately, by the time you complete watching the film (that is if you choose to), none of these protagonists are gonna matter. Because the plot of the film points to someone totally random and demands us to clap our hands.

Other than an extremely slow start, with sort of an anti-climactic narrative, the film takes you on a condensed character development study of the three main characters, played averagely by the actors. While I vote for Pauly for his seemingly out of place character portrayal, I also want to jibe at Sukumaran for his weird accent. But maybe that was a requisite.

The chief theme of the film is about how Indian professionals are targeted in foreign countries in the dawn of recession, coupled by some IT sector propaganda that is prevalent in the plot. Then there is an element about racism, which does not add traction to the already half-baked story. Thrills, if you start searching for it, seem to be hiding from its audience's sight, because in the 140 minutes, all you can find are some self-righteous dialogs, few walkie-talkie police commands, cleavage close-ups, and lots of character issues harbored by the characters.

One cannot call the story pretentious, because there is a hint of suspense that is present since the beginning, which if had been executed well, could have salvaged the film. And at the end, all the drama comes down to professional jealousy and discrimination. If one sits through the film expecting a twist at the end, all he/she is going to end up with is bits of bad writing, similar to those bits of corn that we find at the bottom of our popcorn basket - undesired and hard to chew. The film ends with a Buddha quote and that should be enough for one to decide if he/she wants to try this mindless drama, which can cause serious impairment if not prevented with a couple yawns.

BOTTOM LINE: Shyamaprasad's aesthetically striking Ivide is more of a slow-paced drama under the disguise of a crime-thriller that is highly boring, if not excruciating.

RATING: 3 stars out of 10.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Provocative material but Ivide is no better than an American B movie .....

[PimpinAinttEasy · 4/10 · 9 October 2015]

Ivide is like one of those American movies that boasts of huge star casts but strangely head straight to DVD.

The film has two of Malayalam cinemas biggest stars - Nivin Pauly and Prithviraj as the protagonists. Bhavana, another big superstar is the heroine.

It is about Indian techies being shot to death and their murder cases being investigated by a tormented Indian origin cop (played by Prithviraj) who seems to be struggling with his lack of roots and tendency for violence. He was adopted from an Indian orphanage by an American couple. There is a subplot about a crooked South Indian techie (played by Nivin Pauly).

The film tries to address some really provocative subjects - especially immigration into America and race relations between white Americans and Indians, with technology jobs and the white woman as corollaries.

Neither side is portrayed as particularly fair or honest, which is a welcome change from overtly patriotic Indian films that portray all white people as racists. The film does enter that territory at times, though.

Ajayan Venugopalan's writing is overwrought and lacks control. The writing and direction are extremely tacky at times. Which is a shame because the story and sub-plots were pretty interesting. Shyamaprasad is one of the most overrated directors working in Malayalam cinema today. I do not understand how this man keeps getting money to make films.

The first scene of the film where a middle aged Indian techie seduces a beautiful white woman through a dating website by posting a younger photograph of his was quite amusing and well done. But the rest of the film never lives up to the initial promise.

Prithviraj's acting - especially his accent was hard to endure. Nivin Pauly was quite good as the devious techie.

(4/10)

Shyamaprasad! Please don't try such experiments again.

[stevemarkzachariah · 2/10 · 31 May 2015]

An extremely boring flick which has nothing to grab your attention. I am terribly disappointed as I was waiting months together for this movie. A major correction which I would like to justify is about the role of Nivin Pauly in the movie. Initial reviews sounded that the actor was too artificial but he actually delivers a decent performance while on the other hand Prithviraj couldn't accurately portray the expressions and accent of an American. I suggest to Mr.Shyamaprasad - please stick to your usual award films. Its a bad movie which neither has no plot nor good visuals. The sole highlight of the film is the Song Etho Theerangal by Gopi Sundar.

My final verdict is that go for this movie only if you wish to see Prithviraj speak flawless English for two and a half hours.

Craft from shyamaprasad

[gowthamraghunathan · 10/10 · 4 February 2019]

Happened to watch this movie today. This may test your patience by the way it executes the theme... But I am pretty sure that at the end you will surely get a cup of tea... Worth watching.. personally favourite