18am Padi Movie Review

Story: Students of two schools in Thiruvananthapuram that cater to different economical classes are in a tussle. While one set struggles for survival, the other is busy finding joy in drugs. The two groups keep finding reasons to mess with each other. Will they find the purpose of their lives amid the chaos?

Review: There’s a saying in the villages of Kerala, “It isn’t easy to cross the seventeenth step in your life.” Shanker Ramakrishnan’s debut directorial is for those who have exactly understood why their parents said so and for those who have been trying to figure out what do they mean by it. A tale of the youth who chase their dreams by taking the right steps in life with the help of many good Samaritans, this film is the need of the hour.

The movie opens when Ashwin (Prithviraj) starts narrating the tale of his school days to the first batch of students of his academic institution. Simultaneously, the story shifts to our nation’s border where Ayyapan (Arya) is on a mission combating enemies. The story is told through their eyes as flashback, and there we see a set of students from Thiruvananthapuram belonging to two different economical classes entering into tussles every now and then for any odd reasons. While the students of Government Model Boys School struggle for survival, on the other side we see a bunch of rich kids having a gala time being victims of substance abuse and also victimising the other school kids for fun. Ayyappan (Akshay Radhakrishnan) is the leader of students from Boys’ school and Ashwin (Ashwin Gopinath) of the international School. They are volatile and short tempered; their fights never foresee the consequences but only the momentary victory. Thus, they often end up at police stations with suspensions.

That’s when Joy (Chandu Nadh), a teacher in English at the International School takes the first step to bring in some change in the lives of spoilt brats. He sees himself in them and tries to be someone he never had in his teens – an ideal teacher – as he tries to convince the kids that there is life beyond drugs. Things take a different turn when an unfortunate incident at International School lands Ashwin in trouble. The story gets momentum when Ayyapan and friends get a chance to take revenge on Ashwin.

Shanker Ramakrishnan’s debut directorial is a movie that can be called as a trendsetter. The director proves that a good cinema is all about a good script and a dedicated maker who can blend all the elements - performances, cinematography and music. It’s not just about not superstars, mass dialogues or special dance numbers. Though the movie has Mammootty playing an integral role and Prithviraj, Unni Mukundan and Arya doing cameos, the movie completely depends on the well-crafted script and power-packed performances of the newbies.

Shanker also explores the possibilities of physicality in acting where we see actors like Ambi Ninasem just flowing through the screen with agility. The stunts are nothing like you have ever seen before - it is realistic and adrenaline pumping.

The film has even a special dance number which has been captured aesthetically; songs of the movie are soulful. It speaks for all - the rich, the poor, the broken and the victims of substance abuse – and does justice to all genders. In fact, the movie can be considered as a text book for the adolescents of the Gen Z era. It’s also a film for the dreamers, the chasers, the distracted and the nostalgic minds.