It is challenging to write about a film that shows everything you have seen before; from the characters and the story to their agendas, motivations, and the ending, everything is familiar. Joshiy’s “Antony” offers the same old gangster story without even the slightest spin on the main narrative. There are a plethora of characters here, a handful of antagonists who have massive buildups, all leading to absolutely nothing. The climax is predictable, yet it could have packed a punch if the writing had not been all over the place. In fact, the whole film, along with its ending, turns out to be as flat as its characters.
The film presents Joju Geroge as Antony, a local goon. But since it’s Joju Geroge and it’s a Joshiy film, of course, he has a heart of gold. He beats people up and even kills them, but only for the right reasons. He’s a Saint for the oppressed and Satan for the oppressors. Now, a man like this is bound to have enemies, and Antony has plenty. Right from the beginning, the film establishes that multiple people want Antony to be dead, and they keep doing this or that to cause him trouble. Antony is introduced to us while slashing the leg of one of his enemies, Scoundrel Xavier, who unexpectedly dies, sending Antony to jail.
After serving a sentence of 6 months, Antony comes out of jail. Then, in an unexpected turn of events, Antony’s life gets entangled with that of Ann Maria (Kalyani Priyadarshan), Scoundrel Xavier’s daughter. How this entanglement changes him, and where it finally leads form the crux of the story. Now, being a film by Joshiy, the director of films like “Kauravar,” “Mahayanam,” etc, there are bound to be certain expectations.
However, this film falls flat in almost every aspect, barring the acting by the ensemble cast. The writing is extremely weak, and impactful scenes seem to be left midway even before they can land. There is a scene involving Fr. Paul Kattakayam (Chemban Vinod Jose), the Father at the local Church, and Antony, where the latter says how he has started to feel scared of dying and killing after some 16-17 years because of the arrival of Ann Maria in his life.
Now, the audience will expect that the Father will say something impactful or emotional or at least something that will validate what Antony is saying. However, Father swiftly ignores his statement, gives a simple look, and proceeds to tell him other things. This disregard for Antony’s feelings might have worked if his backstory had not been established in an elaborate manner. Digging up Antony’s past shows why he is the way he is now. Therefore, it kind of becomes essential for this scene to delve further into what Antony says, but instead of doing that, the writing touches the tip of the iceberg and leaves.
There are several scenes like this where a lot more impact could have been made if the writing was at its sharpest. The scenes involving Ann Maria and Antony also lack depth despite their relationship being the film’s central focus. Ann Maria refuses to stay with Antony at one point, but suddenly, after a very half-baked apology, she readily agrees to live in his house. The gradual development of their relationship to the point where she finally calls him ‘Appa’ sounds nice in theory but does not translate that well on the screen. A lot of the time, their dynamic appeared rather cringe and borderline creepy when it should have been warm and endearing.
One exciting thing about this movie is its female characters. Despite the limited time and space offered, all the female characters in the film assert their strong character nature. Not a single woman here is a damsel in distress. Ann Maria’s mother, Jessy (Asha Sharath), does not think twice before mentioning that she’s glad that her scoundrel husband is dead. Moreover, she does not shy away from making the best out of the situation and getting financial compensation from Antony to secure her and her daughter’s future. She also raises her daughter the same way, fiercely and independently.
As Ann Maria reveals later, her mother got her into boxing to keep herself safe from Scoundrel Xavier, who was not very fatherly to her. Even Maya (Nyla Usha), the house nurse of Avaran (Vijayaraghavan) with her limited screen time, appears as a feisty and independent woman who can drive, likes to drink with men, and knows what she’s doing. Amid the poor writing and screenplay, these characters make the film bearable.
The editing also seems a bit abrupt in certain scenes of the film. Edited by Shyam Sasidharan, some scenes seem to get cut off before they are finished, and it feels that if the editing had been done differently, those scenes would have landed better. Jake Bejoy’s music doesn’t really add much to the film. The BGM brings some depth to certain scenes, but the songs aren’t great. However, the film is saved a lot because of the actors. Actors like Jinu Joseph, Tini Tom, Vijayaraghavan, and Appani Sarath save the show collectively despite not being given their due screen presence.
Overall, “Antony” can be a one-time watch if you are a fan of Joju George and Joshiy. Kalyani Priyadarshan has also played a different kind of role here, and watching her as this angry young girl who believes violence to be the solution is pretty delightful. However, do not tune in with much expectations because the story progression is bound to disappoint.
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