Orijinal is one such movie that is more philosophical and thought-provoking than it aspires to be. On the first look, you will feel it like a normal time travel movie from Malayalam, which has recently come up with many time loop movies, but it lets loose many ideas as the movie steps into full motion. Helmed by debutant director Ramees and cast headed by Sreenath Bhasi, the plot of the movie is the choices being given to a struggling wannabe filmmaker in two periods—no, three periods—as his self travels in between to find what he could achieve in his lifetime and what he would be able to become.

(Spoiler alert – It means I might reveal the plot here and there) Rijin Yusuf is about to make his debut as a director. But fate and his own miscalculations about a storyline collapse his dreams. Then he is thrown into the time travel sequence where he becomes entangled in the decisions he is set to make, as those decisions will be impacting many lives and the futures of people around him. The whole movie is all about what happens after this event, as Rijin finds himself in the middle of this knowledge that his self has come back from the future to talk to him and convince him to change the trajectories. This whole sequence sets off many emotional turmoils in both avatars, and those turmoils bring forth many questions on memory, human existence, choices, aspirations, future, experience, and validation.

Ramees, in his debut as director, gets into a complex territory and emerges victorious with the help of a stunning performance by Sreenath Bhasi.

The basic question is about what you would change if you were given a chance to change something or an event from the past. This may look like a question being asked to a politician or a celebrity in an interview, but the impact of such a decision might carry the weight of many good, bad, and ugly turns in one’s or society’s upward or downward movement.

An interesting question the future Rijin throws to the present Rijin or past Rijin might have happened to all those who have experienced the luxury of life earned after many debacles: a peaceful sleep on a bed with all comfort, rather than a struggling and fallen one. Every human being is aiming to settle in greener pastures as they toil and sacrifice for years for this peace or comfort. Rijin is offered this comfort and he makes a decision that obviously impacts his whole life, and also people around him. It is here that Orijinal delves deep into the weight of choice, and Ramees’s writing is spot on in letting his character travel through the experience.

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Course correction in a positive sense has always been the central pillar of every human review of their actions. Here as well, as Orijinal approaches the finale, the protagonist takes the route to correct what should have been done earlier in his life. But the path Ramees adopts here for the course correction—a main theme of many time travel stories—is more complex and tiresome. Multi-strand storytelling with parallel structures, emotional contrast, complex societal hierarchies, experiences, exploring multiple opposing angles, and thematic mirroring has become a major element of storytelling today, and it becomes far more demanding when managing such varied layers. Ramees has many layers in the various realities he creates, and then you have many other parallel worlds inside it. Each reality works as a layer and each layer has its own reasons and stories to delve into. Imagine this process. If you have ever been into writing, especially scripting for a movie, you would know the grueling rigors of the business.

Sreenath Bhasi, in his latest outing in a full-fledged character, lives the complex life of Rijin.

Ramees, as a writer, finds this task easier and delivers in full length. At the end, the course correction happens, though many might feel it as a trope that has been used for feel-good impact as the end credits roll.

Unlike other famous similar stories like the much-talked-about Dark series, which intertwines the ideas of time loop and time travel, Ramees makes sure that the major anchor of his storytelling remains emotions in Orijinal. The complex nature of the story gives enough room for the writer to flex his ability to manage deep emotional scenes. This sensitive approach gives Rijin and his conflicts enough space to grow into the audience.

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In short, Ramees as a writer is really good. He is able to go deep into complex ideas and deliver. Then comes Ramees the director. In his first major project, Ramees is promising and makes sure things have been put in their right place.

One element that keeps Orijinal in complete cohesion is the music, both the playback and the background score. Electronic Kili, with his mix of folk fusion, melodramatic mood-pop, and hip-hop, has delivered a banger playlist in the movie and is able to let the viewer cling onto the movie till the end.

It’s not just Sreenath Bhasi who delivered well; all others, including Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Stini Francis, Sreekanth Vettiyar, Rajesh Madhavan, Femina George, Saaf Boi, and Binu Pappu, helped Orijinal stay on proper course.

Sreenath Bhasi, in his latest outing in a full-fledged character, lives the complex life of Rijin. The most important aspect of Sreenath’s acting is that he is at ease as a struggling and wannabe moviemaker. He fits into the character and makes sure that his performance is devoid of unnecessary drama. He is perfectly happy when Rijin is happy, deeply poignant when Rijin is downcast, and electric when Rijin achieves his moment.

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Timeline verdict: Ramees, in his debut as director, gets into a complex territory and emerges victorious with the help of a stunning performance by Sreenath Bhasi. Orijinal is a good watch for all those who like to watch a complex story dealt with utmost care.

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