In Vineeth Sreenivasan’s universe, some of the most complex human emotions and situations are dealt with simplistically. It can be about an affluent family suddenly grappling with debts (Jacobinte Swargarajyam), a young couple weathering through their marriage (Hridayam), inter-religious romance (Thattathin Marayathu), or exploring friendships. Vineeth prefers to airbrush the conflicts. This pattern is faithfully followed in his 6th directorial Varshangalkku Shesham, featuring a smorgasbord of actors (all his regulars), as he attempts a meta film.

Narrated between two time periods (the 80s and now), in the thick of things, there are two friends, Venu (Dhyan Sreenivasan), an aspiring playwright who nurtures dreams of becoming a filmmaker, and Murali (Pranav Mohanlal), a young musician. The film documents their journey as they wade through struggles, failures, heartbreaks, and triumphs in their quest to fulfill their dreams.

On paper, the Murali-Venu friendship is the nucleus of the film. The meta backdrop is the crutch to explore the depth of their friendship. But the core also turns out to be the weakest link of the narrative. Not only are the portions featuring their struggles to make it big in films very generic, and poorly written, the weak performances of the lead actors further dilute them. Despite their shared history or the purported emotional attachment, one isn't able to invest in their bond. Though Dhyan Sreenivasan somewhat passes muster in the younger getup, he goes awfully out of tune when he wears grey makeup. During those lighter, witty moments, Dhyan seems to be more at ease (or being himself). But whenever his character slips into those grey areas, the actor is a strain to watch. As for Pranav Mohanlal, it is a flat performance (dialogue delivery is a matter of urgent concern) and the only time he evokes some modicum of affection is during that introductory song as he looks like a younger version of Mohanlal there. The less said about his aging makeup and performance, the better.

The predictability isn’t exactly a downer. But certain stretches are insipid—the Pranav-Kalyani romance (weak writing and staging) for instance. Not only does Kalyani look out of place in the setting, but her portions are also vague, especially the nature of her relationship with her brother-in-law. Did it add anything to the narrative than stretch the running time? Not really.

Once the plot shifts to Kodambakkam, Vineeth seems to lose his grip on the writing. Maybe it has something to do with the production value but Murali and Venu's tryst to get a footing in the industry are too stagey and superficial. They take a reductionist approach to the conflicts (those passages are inspired by Udayananu Tharam), and despite the large ounces of drama, we aren’t exactly sold on to their plight. It also comes across as too rushed (as if some part of the screenplay went missing)—take the confrontation scenes featuring Murali and Venu and you know that the latter’s reactions don’t validate his fury.

Vineeth has a wacky sense of humor, mostly self-deprecatory. And though it hits the right notes at various places, one isn’t sure humor is the right narrative device to call out sexual exploitation on the sets.

What salvages this overstretched drama is a 20-minute cameo appearance. In what is hands down the best-written passage, we have Nivin Pauly playing this superstar who is going through a career slump (a meta-reference to Nivin Pauly’s career). The actor gets a spectacular entry (the music is spot on) and from then till he lasts on screen, there isn’t a dull moment. Look out for that riotous scene when a heavily drunk Nivin rants about nepotism - he is hysterical. When it comes to comic timing, he displays the same effortlessness as Mohanlal. The other cameo was a surprise though nothing earth-shattering.

Special props to Basil Joseph, who plays an Assistant Director, and Aju Varghese in a dual role as producer (he comes as the father and son). Look out for that hilarious give-and-take between Basil and Nivin. Though not in the same league, Aju shows glimpses of a young Innocent—he is a definite value addition to the film. Interestingly though 'Nyabagam' wasn’t exactly an earworm for me, it had sufficient impact on the screen. While it is difficult to recall many of the sub-characters, one felt a talent like YG Mahendran was wasted. 'Varshangalkku Shesham' is a quintessential Vineeth Sreenivasan film. And, what’s expected has been delivered.