If there is a competition for 'feel-good' movies then Rakshadhikaari Baiju is the strongest contender! Playing his usual common-man self with a blank expression and cracking one-liners at ease, Biju Menon plays up to his titular role to perfection as a 40-something family man who spends more time at his village playground than his workplace with his preteen to late 20's gang of friends. In the absence of a major event/turning point or a solid plot, clean and situational humor and the lead character's anecdotal incidents with the support cast carries the movie home somewhat. This Ranjan Pramod flick would be best enjoyed by 80's / 90's kids who can relate to the playground camaraderie and relatively simpler times compared to the millennials. Best part amongst the proceedings would be the subtleness brought into typical nostalgic affairs like romance sidetrack or family drama and the shrewdly avoided preachy tone in conveying what they want to tell. Technically perfect (spot recording being a feature well apt for the plot) and with its humdrum screenplay, Baiju is the perfect unwinding for supposed- to- be grownups who relish their childhood.
Review of Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu
