We would all like our dreams to grow wings and fly high, but Aby’s dream is to literally grow wings. Aby has a fairytale opening, with a simple-minded boy who has an eye for the sky. His flights of fancy could typically make for great comic strips, for the genuinity shines through, even when obstacles fall in his way.
Srikant Murali’s debut film is a picture-perfect tale, set in a quaint village, where young Aby is deemed ‘special’, because he sees the world through dreamy eyes. There’s only enough space for one thought in his head - flying.
Aby (Vineeth Sreenivasan) isn’t exactly a thing of joy for his father Babychan (Sudheer Karamana). It doesn’t help that the family struggles to make ends meet.
However, Aby, with his lopsided smile and a Chaplin-inspired gait, isn’t the face of despair, but far from it. He shows flashes of brilliance (a staple in inspirational tales) and has a resilince that cannot be broken down.
A story that makes for a scroll that rolls down to read ‘optimism’ in bold, Aby stands true to the inspirational movie genre and strives towards the goal, flitting through serendipitious meetings and the right-person-at-the-right-time situations.
While the film’s strength is that it progresses without digressing too much into related affairs, it does make for a predicatble watch, however well-made it is.
The much-needed respites are offered by Suraj Venjaramoodu and Aju Varghese. Vinita Koshy does a convincing job of being Aby’s mother while Mareena Michael shows promise as an upcoming actor.Manish Choudhary, as the alcoholic demi-god, that essential character required for the plot twist, makes for a great presence. Dileesh Pothen makes a great cameo, as well. Vineeth is charming with his little antics, and his ‘unmade like one’s messy bed’ look adds to it!
Sudheer Surendran’s camera has practically filtered in the crispy village air for us to breathe, and Bijibal’s music falls in line with the theme. It’s the kind of a movie where wishes written on the blue skies are made into a reality with sheer earnestness and persistence.
So, for a movie that takes very few erroneous steps, sit back and let this one inspire you, for that’s why it’s here.