Occupying the centre of the narrative in Tinu Pappachan’s Chaaver are three bombs; one which fails to explode when it was supposed to, another which goes off unexpectedly at an inopportune moment, and a third one that remains unused. By the end of it all, one wonders whether the scriptwriter had meant these bombs to be an overarching metaphor for the movie, which, except for a couple of inopportune explosions, ends as nothing more than a wet cracker.
Political murders and violence-ridden Kannur is in the spotlight of the umpteenth movie in recent years, but the presence of Tinu Pappachan at the helm had raised some hopes, going by what he had managed to pull off in Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil and Ajagajantharam. Here too, he attempts to provide an elevating experience with all the carefully-crafted action sequences. But, a script filled with hot air can offer only so much elevation.
Chaaver opens with what seems to be a political murder. The gang involved in the killing — Ashokan (Kunchacko Boban), Musthafa (K.U.Manoj), Asif (Sajin Gopu), and Thomas (Anuroop) — is soon on the run, but an injury that Ashokan sustained during the act necessitates them to consult a doctor. An unsuspecting medical student, Arun (Arjun Ashokan), unaware of the crime, lands in their jeep and gets entangled in the conflict. Well that’s almost a spoiler, for the movie really does not take off beyond this initial setting.
