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Legendary Malayalam actor Mammootty has frequently said, “Cinema can thrive without me, it has so many alternatives. Veterans like Adoor (Gopalakrishnan), Joshiy, Hariharan, and MT (Vasudevan Nair) don’t need me; it’s I who need them and cinema,” emphasising the insignificance of actors and stars in the realm of motion pictures and the broader world. But stardom carries a potent allure, often blinding those carrying it to the erosion of their platform until they begin to falter. Director Jean Paul Lal’s (Lal Jr) Nadikar revolves around such a superstar, David Padikkal (Tovino Thomas), who has forsaken his acting roots, embracing a lifestyle focused solely on “booze, dance, party and play”. Or, in the words of his acting coach Bala (Soubin Shahir), “The moment you became a superstar, you lost (as an actor).”
Movies about the film industry or those revolving around film personnel are inherently attractive because they offer a glimpse into the inner workings of cinema, often from a first-person perspective provided by those directly involved, which are more reliable than the products of Page 3 journalism. Films like 8½ (1963), Kagaz Ke Phool (1959), Sunset Boulevard (1950), Om Shanti Om (2007), The Dirty Picture (2011), Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback (1983), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), Luck By Chance (2009), Uttama Villain (2015) et al continue to draw interest for this reason too. Hence, since Nadikar’s initial announcement, anticipation has been rightfully high, given the myriad of possibilities its theme presents to the makers. Regrettably, the Jean Paul Lal directorial is a festival of misfires, with only a few noteworthy moments and the charismatic presence of Tovino Thomas in top form.
Nadikar opens with a homage to old Malayalam films, presenting the opening credits as cards reminiscent of the past. It then cuts to an archived interview of (late) Prem Nazir, one of the industry’s first superstars, discussing the challenges of becoming a revered actor, emphasising that “stardom is not a bed of roses,” setting the stage for the film’s themes. In a few subsequent shots, the film depicts the rapid rise of David to stardom, with his films enjoying consecutive successes. However, as the narrative shifts to the present day, David’s extravagant and careless lifestyle takes precedence, highlighting “booze, dance, party and play” as his main pursuits, while references to his cinema career are only heard through his manager Paily’s (Suresh Krishna) phone calls with others, clearly indicating David’s priorities. After facing a string of flops, he is no longer a bankable actor and David is in no mood to uplift his drowning career either, though concerned about it at times. In an effort to revive his career, Paily secures him the lead role in ace filmmaker Koshy’s (Ranjith) new project, which David promptly loses due to his arrogance. Nadikar also subtly suggests David’s mental struggles through initially unexplained flashbacks to his childhood traumas, highlighting that he is lonely at the top. Through his confidante Lenin (Balu Varghese), David realises his declining status as an actor and reluctantly agrees to seek guidance from an acting coach, Bala. Despite his initial resistance to relinquishing his superstar persona, David eventually confronts the reality of his downward trajectory. The remainder of the film explores whether he can overcome his comfort zone and rediscover his footing in the industry.
Despite its promising premise for a gripping drama, Nadikar fails to make a lasting impression from the outset itself due to lacklustre writing. Many potentially impactful moments, such as David’s dramatic exit from Koshy’s set, his interactions with his ex-girlfriend, actor Anna Bava (Bhavana), his successful depiction of a character in a children’s play set up by Bala and even the climax performance, are wasted due to Suvin S Somasekharan’s weak writing, visibly evident in the weakly dialogues. While the script fails to fully capitalise on these evidently powerful instances, even the supposed comedic moments fall flat, eliciting little laughter beyond a few one-liners which too, after a point, comes across as forced. Once done watching the movie, one might feel that Nadikar had only a few key plot points or moments and the rest of the scenes were hastily added without careful thought or refinement, solely to connect these instances. As a result, the overall film lacks coherence.
Watch Nadikar trailer here:
Besides the glitter and flashiness on screen, enhanced by Tovino’s striking appearance and skilful portrayal of David’s emotions, Nadikar feels like a bird yearning to take flight but unable to do so and instead, it aimlessly walks around, flapping its wings in the hope of magically soaring to great heights.
While Jean’s scene choreography and picturesque settings are commendable, it seems that the director prioritised only visual appeal over a compelling narrative and thus, the film falls into a pit of boredom soon. Whenever anticipation builds for something impactful or gripping to unfold, Nadikar merely brushes past these moments without fully realising their potential. For instance, the conversation between David and his fan (Chandu Salim Kumar), where the star shares his childhood trauma of abandonment by his mother, and the climactic performance where the actor taps into these emotions for a powerful portrayal, are both mishandled — one underused and the other overused, respectively — highlighting the film’s shortcomings.
Jean Paul Lal’s Nadikar revolves around a superstar who has forsaken his acting roots, embracing a lifestyle focused solely on “booze, dance, party and play.” (Image: Tovino Thomas/Facebook)
Though Nadikar introduces a wide array of characters, only David receives any semblance of justice, largely due to his omnipresence throughout the film. While Bala is reasonably crafted, Soubin fails to delve into the character’s depth, missing yet another opportunity. Despite the frequent appearances of Lenin, Paily and Anna, these characters lack substance beyond the surface level. Bhavana’s character, in particular, is frustratingly shallow, and her absence would have made little to no difference to the narrative, despite the film’s attempts to portray David’s affection and concern for her, as showcased through a scene reminiscent of the motivational phone conversation between Maathan (Tovino) and Appu (Aishwarya Lekshmi) in Mayaanadhi (2017).
Despite it’s many, many shortcomings, the factor that keeps one glued to the screen is the presence of Tovino as he effortlessly embodies the role with immense energy and flair. He skillfully navigates between swagger, charm, emotional turmoil and responsibility as and when necessary, providing David Padikkal with a solid core that the narrative failed to provide. Soubin also shines intermittently, solely due to his acting prowess. However, other actors like Bhavana, Balu and Suresh Krishna, while competent, are limited by poorly developed roles.
Apart from Tovino, cinematographer Alby and production designer Prasanth Madhav deserve credit for sustaining Nadikar through their exceptional work in their respective fields. Without their contributions, the film would likely have faltered soon after its inception. While Yakzan Gary Pereira and Neha Nair’s music partly complement the aforementioned technicians’ efforts, it falls short of their previous works such as Iyobinte Pusthakam (2014), Driving License (2019), Halal Love Story (2020), Love (2021) and 1001 Nunakal (2023). RG Wayanadan’s makeup and Ekta Bhatted’s costume design also deserve recognition for their contributions to the film’s visual appeal.
Nadikar movie cast: Tovino Thomas, Bhavana, Soubin Shahir, Balu Varghese, Suresh Krishna
Nadikar movie director: Jean Paul Lal (Lal Jr)
Nadikar movie rating: 2 stars
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