Spoiler-free Review of “Youth”

Youth marks the remarkable debut of Ken Karunaas as lead actor, writer, director and lyricist. The film – as the title suggests – presents perspectives of love among the current generation by exploring the highs and heartbreaks of a youngster desperately seeking love.

Praveen (Ken Karunaas) has a dismal academic record at school. He has a frosty relationship with his hard-working father, Unnikrishnan (Suraj Venjaramoodu) but enjoys the adulation of a doting mother (Devadharshini). Ken receives a lot of support from his loyal friends – most of the time – and this encourages him to live a life free of responsibility, ambition or drive.

Praveen’s search for love leads to mixed success, but it is ironically love that forces him to step back and re-evaluate his life’s choices. This leads to a predictable but heart-warming transformation that is rooted in deep-seated emotions.

Youth has an unpretentious approach and it is this simplicity that gives the film strength. The characters are individually developed to credible detail and Ken’s own screenplay ensures that he does not dominate the screen time, allowing his co-stars to shine brightly.

By far, the co-stars who shine the brightest are Devadharshini and Suraj Venjaramoodu who play his parents. Devadharshini has matured with each successive role and ensures that she plays each to perfection. Providing excellent support is a moving portrayal by Suraj Venjaramoodu. It helps also that the on-screen chemistry between Ken and each of these characters has a natural gelling that allows the viewer to be drawn into the screenplay.

Nallini, playing the school Principal, maximises her screen time to deliver a memorable performance.

Anishma Anilkumar (who made her debut in Sirrai) as Kanaga, Priyanshi Yadav as Sonal and Meenakshi Dinsh as Preshika each deliver convincing performances that are as well acted as they are written, adding to the credibility of the narration.

There is nothing strikingly original in the plot, script or screenplay – but the film’s strength comes from the depth in the writing and the intensity of the acting performances – not just from the main characters, but from every member of the cast.

The background score and soundtrack by G.V. Prakash Kumar is a major contributing factor to the film’s positive impact. The songs are all memorable, with Ken penning the lyrics to four of the five songs and singing or co-singing four of the five songs.

Viki’s cinematography is impressive in the framing and there are intermittent bursts of creativity with the use of natural and artificial lighting.

Ken’s understanding of commercial elements and what entertains audiences is commendable and he shows great promise as a director.

Youth released theatrically on 19 March and will soon be streamed on Netflix.

Youth scores 8 points out of 10.