Vattamesha Sammelanam (2019)

It feels like that old psychological trick. Lower expectations by suggesting that something is the pits and then, people will feel that, 'hey, actually it is not bad in the least'. That conceit doesn't quite work with Vattamesha Sammelanam, an anthology of six shorts, surprisingly featuring some big names like filmmakers Jibu Jacob, Jude Anthany Joseph and Major Ravi, who makes a jibe on himself. While the slogan boldly suggests it is 'The Flop Film', the film ends (and don't worry about the spoiler alert) saying that actually it is a hit and much enjoyed by audiences. The film is about an underworld don from Mumbai named Jaggubhai Khurana Saheb (Shashi Kalinga) who is in Kerala to produce a flop film to write off his black money. Based on the advice of a famous astrologer, he sets out to produce an anthology of shorts, with the worst scripts, cast and crew. Humour based on stomach upset is funny in general, but it is also the last resort of a comedian. Atley uses the trope in two of the short films here, one that he directed and another that he wrote. And both of them were unfunny and devoid of any deeper meaning. Known for his meta humour, Atley uses a lot of movie references, mostly to dismal effect. And since the film is made by the Kochi fraternity, they also make snide remarks about southern districts in Kerala. The attempt to satirise Kannada and Telugu films misses the mark. The makers could have easily kept it under 120 minutes and spared the audience the torture-the supposed comical pursuit of Jaggubhai by Major Ravi playing a police officer.