Neram

Mathew has a software engineering degree and no job. He cannot repay the money he borrowed, and his creditor is not a patient man. On the same day a job offer arrives, his girlfriend Veni runs away from home, the creditor's men come after him, and three or four events unfolding independently across the city compress into the same few hours. The title is about time. This is Alphonse Puthren's first film; he also wrote and edited it, developing it from his own short. The narrative is built on a chain of coincidences and uses the speed of the cutting as its source of pace. It was shot simultaneously in Malayalam and Tamil, opening on 10 May 2013 and 17 May 2013 respectively. Nivin Pauly plays Mathew, Nazriya Nazim plays Veni, and Bobby Simha the creditor. The music is by Rajesh Murugesan and the budget was around one and a half crore. Who it's for: Viewers who like single-day constructions, films that mix black comedy with suspense, and new-wave Malayalam cinema. Who it's not for: There are too many coincidences and some connections are forced. Character depth is also sacrificed to the speed of the cutting.