After the hit film ‘Hridayam’, another campus film where love blossoms – that is 4 Years. For those who keep the campus nostalgia in mind, the film provides a way to go back to those times through memories. 4 Years is a musical feast that is as heartfelt as it is heartfelt. The film is the story of a batch who is studying an engineering course and one of its suitors. The film depicts what happens during the last two days of their college.
Vishal and Gayatri are classmates and lovers. Vishal is standing in front of the ‘supplied palace’ with no taste for engineering. A character many youngsters who have studied BTech in Kerala can relate to. Whereas Gayatri has clear plans and dreams for the future. After the end of the course, there were small fights and estrangement between the two, but the last two days of college change everything.
The film culminates in the moments the two spend together in those two days before their break-up, the feelings that are bubbling up inside and finally a decision to come together. The director intends the title ‘4 years’ to be a decision they take in their life following that, rather than the BTech period which is actually ‘4 years’ long.
Priya Warrier and Sarjano Khalid are the lead characters. Priya Varrier gives a great performance as the love, breakup, longing and caring girlfriend. Priya’s bold performance can also be seen in some of the demanding scenes of the film, even as she becomes a mature young woman in behavior and character. Sarjano Khalid has become a promising actor with his recent films. Sarjano secures the tough lover who is the exact opposite of the light lover role in ‘June’. Most of the scenes in the two-hour long film focus on these two. The audience also gets to experience the chemistry between the two.
The film presents the humiliation of failing in a course you don’t like despite having artistic aptitude and the pain of being left alone with the burden of supplies when your classmates are regarding to leave for new pastures in a way that many young people in Kerala can relate to.
The film is produced by Ranjith Shankar and Jayasuriya under the banner of Dreams and Beyond. This is truly a director’s film. There are some similarities between the heart and 4 years. One of them is the emotional attachment of the director to the film. While Vineeth shot ‘Hridayam’ at the college where he studied, Ranjith Shankar shot ‘4 Years’ at MACE College, Kothamangalam, where he studied engineering. Next is the importance given to songs and background score. There are eight songs in the film where music is very important. Each one is a heart showering song of love. The plot of the film is also developed with the accompaniment of songs. Shankar Sharma’s music is the plus point of the film.
The technical aspects are also excellent. The film is rich with excellent frames. It is clear that the director has taken care to accurately capture all the special places of the college where he studied.
In short, this film encourages you to take a mental trip back to the colleges you have graduated from, good and bad memories, friendships and loves. Undoubtedly, the theater is a must watch.