‘Minmini’ movie review: Halitha Shameem’s Himalayan outing leaves you cold

Starring Esther Anil and Praveen Kishore in the lead, this coming-of-age drama ‘Minmini’ needed more drama

Early in Minmini, inside a school during a chilly evening at Ooty, a candle goes off.

A student offers to light it up with his candle. “When one candle lights up another, there’s no loss,” someone remarks.

This line, in essence, is symbolic of this 143-minute coming of age drama, one that opens with sequences in a school in Ooty. The most popular student here in Pari (Gaurav Kaalai), a football star who has won so many cups that the school shelves aren’t able to accommodate them. Enter Sabari, a new student who has very different interests; he plays chess, isn’t as outgoing as Pari and is more interested in colouring the sketching.

Sabari and Pari do not get along but there is indeed some simmering tension between them. The film builds up this drama for far too long until an accident occurs, after which Minmini becomes an almost different film: about finding oneself.

The second half opens, without wasting any time, in the Himalayas. Two students from the group, till now very much in a shell and without knowledge of the outside world, are now out in the expanse. They are not just finding themselves but also helping discover others.

You’ll have to watch the film to understand why, but director Halitha Shameem’s Minmini is best watched when you’re really not expecting dramatic things to happen. There’s a lot of romanticisation of the Himalayas happening here, with two key characters, Praveenah (Esther Anil) and Sabari (Praveen Kishore), undertaking a journey of discovery. Director Halitha Shameem goes with a lot of “vibes” here, spraying the sequences with long stretches of conversation about life, goals and happiness.

The problem with all this is that it makes Minmini look like a pretty postcard with little depth. Like the lead actors spotting an arts festival sign and immediately deciding to head in. Like trying to ride a camel, or drinking butter tea, and meeting new bikers on the way. While the lack of romantic conversation between the two is indeed refreshing, these scenes also feel a tad too stretched and like an advertisement for Himalayan tourism.