Charlie (2015 Malayalam film)

Plot

Tessa (Parvathy) is a graphic artist who runs from home to avoid her marriage. With the help of her friend she rents a room. Initially she hates her room which is a complete mess, but then she learns that the room was previously occupied by a carefree vagabond named Charlie (Dulquer Salmaan). When she starts cleaning up the place, she discovers a photo and a sketchbook of this man. The sketches depict the previous New Year's Eve, when a small-time thief (Soubin Shahir) tries to rob the man's room. In a turn-of-events, the man joins him, and they both go on the rooftop of a home. There, they are shocked by what they see inside. That was the last page of the sketch, and the story is left unfinished, which piques her curiosity about the rest of the story, as well as the previous occupant of the room.

Intrigued, Tessa starts finding the people in the man's sketches. Backtracking his steps, she meets the man's "father" (who is more of a friend), a boat servant, and Mariya/Queen Mary (Kalpana), a physically abused woman. Charlie takes Mariya out to sea for her birthday. Unfortunately, Mariya commits suicide and he becomes heartbroken. Following up on more clues, Tessa gets news that the man is staying in a hotel and rushes to meet him. However she just misses him by a few seconds. Later a helper boy in the hotel explains to her that the little girl with Charlie was Mariya's daughter.

One day, she meets the thief depicted in that man's sketches and inquires about the day's events. He informs her that his sir (Charlie) stopped a woman from hanging herself, and followed her when she escaped from the scene on the bike. They find the house and finally identify the girl as Doctor Kani (Aparna Gopinath). She then meets Kani and inquires about her story. Kani explains that she was depressed over her broken relationship when she did her first independent operation leading to death of a 10 year old girl. Further hooked by the media, she was desperate and about to commit suicide on new year eve and was distracted by that man. He takes her to a home maintained by Kunjappan (Nedumudi Venu) and she was living there then on. Kunjappan a hopeless romantic is waiting for his teenage love Thresia to show up.

Tessa's mother finds her and takes her home. While a depressed Tessa was on her way back home, the man then returns with Kunjappan's long lost love, who is a nun now. Kani informs him about Tessa, and he admits knowing about Tessa and her search for him. Charlie informs Kani that he will be attending the Thrissur Pooram function, and Tessa can find him there if she's looking for him. Finally, Tessa finds him performing in a magic show. Afterwards, he spots her, approaches, and asks her if she wants to have drinks. At she first introduces herself as Shruti Raman, and lets him think that he has met the wrong person. While the festival starts Charlie's antics makes her tell him that she is Tessa and he too reveals his name to be 'Charlie'. As the credits rolls, they are seen wandering together towards a new journey in life.

Cast

Production

Principal photography began on 25 May 2015 in Idukki. IBTimes reported that it will be an experimental film and each actor will be spotted in a new look. The film was shot at various locations in Kochi, Munnar and Gujarat. The filming was completed by September 2015.

Music

The film's soundtrack was composed by Gopi Sunder and the lyrics were written by Rafeeq Ahamed. The songs were released on 7 December 2015. "Chithirathira" sung by Vijay Yesudas was released separately on 21 December. A promotional video of Dulquer Salmaan singing "Chundari Penne" was released on 24 December.

Box office

The film collected ₹2 crore on the first day from Kerala box office, and grossed ₹14.4 crore in 22 days of release. The film collected ₹42 crore from worldwide box office in its final run at the theatres, with ₹22.40 crore from Kerala, ₹6.7 crore from rest of India, ₹11 crore from UAE & GCC, and ₹2 crore from UK, US and other regions.

Critical reception

Describing the film as a "tantalizing love tale", Vishnu Varma of The New Indian Express rated it 4 stars out of 5 and stated, "‘Charlie’ is a feel-good movie, but it does not stop there. It plays around brilliantly with raw emotions centered around a character who wants to be free." Litty Simon of Malayala Manorama rated it 3.25 out of 5, concluding "Dulquer's Charlie is a simple, feel good film that will make you smile this festive season. Although not an out-an-out entertainer, Charlie has the elements to be tagged as a wacky entertainer, filled with all what is needed - celebration, surprises, patience, faith, care, and above, all love!" Website Nowrunning gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5, stating "Charlie could be termed an audacious attempt but grandiose visions don't necessarily translate into well-crafted cinema. Pared down expectations could make it a reasonable weekend watch."

Awards

Kerala State Film Awards

Asiavision Awards

Asianet Film Awards

Vanitha Film Awards