Charlie (2015 Malayalam film)


Charlie is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film directed by Martin Prakkat and written by Prakkat and Unni R. Produced by Prakkat, Joju George and Shebin Becker, the film stars Dulquer Salmaan and Parvathy. The music is composed by Gopi Sundar, while Jomon T. John handles the cinematography. The film released on 24 December. It won 8 awards at the 46th Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Cinematography. It was remade into Marathi as Deva starring Ankush Chaudhary, Tejaswini Pandit and Spruha Joshi.

Plot

Tessa is a graphic artist who runs from home to avoid her marriage. With the help of her friend, she rents a room. Initially, she hates her room which is a complete mess, but then she learns that the room was previously occupied by a carefree vagabond named Charlie. When she starts cleaning up the place, she discovers a photo and a sketchbook of this man. The sketches depict the previous New Year's Eve when a small-time thief tries to rob the man's room. In a turn-of-events, the man joins him, and they both go on the rooftop of a home. There, they are shocked by what they see inside. That was the last page of the sketch, and the story is left unfinished, which piques her curiosity about the rest of the story, as well as the previous occupant of the room.
Intrigued, Tessa starts finding the people in the man's sketches. Backtracking his steps, she meets the man's "father", a boat servant, and Mariya/Queen Mary, a physically abused woman. Charlie takes Mariya out to sea for her birthday. Unfortunately, Mariya commits suicide and he becomes heartbroken. Following up on more clues, Tessa gets news that the man is staying in a hotel and rushes to meet him. However, she just misses him by a few seconds. Later a helper boy in the hotel explains to her that the little girl with Charlie was Mariya's daughter.
One day, she meets the thief depicted in that man's sketches and inquiries about the day's events. He informs her that his sir stopped a woman from hanging herself, and followed her when she escaped from the scene on the bike. They find the house and finally identify the girl as Doctor Kani. She then meets Kani and inquires about her story. Kani explains that she was depressed over her broken relationship when she did her first independent operation leading to the death of a 10-year-old girl. Further hooked by the media, she was desperate and about to commit suicide on new year eve and was distracted by that man. He takes her to a home maintained by Kunjappan and she was living there than on. Kunjappan a hopeless romantic is waiting for his teenage love Theresia to show up.
Tessa's mother finds her and takes her home. While a depressed Tessa was on her way back home, the man then returns with Kunjappan's long lost love, who is a nun now. Kani informs him about Tessa, and he admits knowing about Tessa and her search for him. Charlie informs Kani that he will be attending the Thrissur Pooram function, and Tessa can find him there if she's looking for him. Finally, Tessa finds him performing in a magic show. Afterward, he spots her, approaches, and asks her if she wants to have drinks. At first, she introduces herself as Shruti Raman and lets him think that he has met the wrong person. But as the festival starts, Charlie's antics make her confess that she is indeed Tessa and he too reveals his name to be 'Charlie'. As the credits roll, they are seen wandering together towards a new journey in life.

Cast

began on 25 May 2015 in Idukki. IBTimes reported that it will be an experimental film and each actor will be spotted in a new look. The film was shot at various locations in Kochi, Munnar and Gujarat. The filming was completed by September 2015.

Music

The film's soundtrack was composed by Gopi Sunder and the lyrics were written by Rafeeq Ahamed and Santhosh Varma. The songs were released on 7 December 2015. "Chithirathira" sung by Vijay Yesudas was released separately on 21 December. A promotional video of Dulquer Salmaan singing "Chundari Penne" was released on 24 December.

Reception

Box office

The film collected 20 million on the first day from Kerala box office, and grossed 144 million in 22 days of release.
The film completed a 100-day theatrical run in Kerala and grossed 224.2 million at the Kerala box office. In its lifetime, Charlie grossed 420 million at the global box office.

Critical reception

Describing the film as a "tantalizing love tale", Vishnu Varma of The New Indian Express rated it 4 stars out of 5 and stated, "‘Charlie’ is a feel-good movie, but it does not stop there. It plays around brilliantly with raw emotions centered around a character who wants to be free."
Litty Simon of Malayala Manorama rated it 3.25 out of 5, concluding "Dulquer's Charlie is a simple, feel good film that will make you smile this festive season. Although not an out-and-out entertainer, Charlie has the elements to be tagged as a wacky entertainer, filled with all what is needed — celebration, surprises, patience, faith, care, and above, all love!" Website Nowrunning gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5, stating "Charlie could be termed an audacious attempt but grandiose visions don't necessarily translate into well-crafted cinema. Pared down expectations could make it a reasonable weekend watch."

Accolades