Viju becomes an insomniac, a person spiraling into the prison of psychological disorders.
A coincidence lands him an opportunity that changes everything for him. Solomon Davis (Gautam Vasudev Menon) and associate Isaac Thomas who intend to feed "religion" as their drug, pull Viju along for the role of a phony pastor: the birth of Pastor Joshua Carlton. ( J.C., see?) He, a non-believer, gets trained for months in the verses and hymns of The Testaments.
Pastor J.C., with his past experiences as a speaker and his natural gift of enchanting eyes and enthralling expressions, enraptures the religious enthusiasts. He builds his own empire, the Glorious Church, on the donations offered by them.
Soon he finds himself at loggerheads with the “Masters” who created him, for he didn't want to be a puppet anymore. He confronts the interviewer (Soubin Shahir) of a talk show ending up prey to suspicion and criticism. Solomon and Isaac realize that their asset is transforming into a threat. An attempt to curb the threat (prop: golf stick) puts Pastor J.C. on the death bed, from where quite medically miraculously resurrects on the Third Day. This is just past the intermission. And as good the movie gets.
Post the “incident”, Pastor's masters suspect a mad act on his behalf and call for an appropriate candidate to check on him. The turn sees the entry of Esther Lopez (Nazriya Nazim), a young girl turned alcohol addict, owing to an unsuccessful tryst with love, as the replacement to his mysteriously missing secretary.
Esther monitors his ways and feeds him medicines, just as ordered until she figures that the psychedelic drugs are making his mind a mushy mess. She tries to straighten him while he encourages her to quit the ill habits. And those few moments of Fahad and Nazriya try to revive the magic last seen in Bangalore Days, but hardly.
Viju is constantly seen torn between the highly energetic evangelist and the victim of years-long of suppressed depression. His antics on stage are electric until Hallelujah rings in your ears. The miracle worker leaves one expecting a miracle throughout the movie, that sadly doesn't come.
There's another story that branches with a devout villager (Vinayakan) who has given up on modern medicine for his sick daughter earnestly hoping for a heavenly miracle. His faith and its fall seal it for the Pastor, finally. He takes the ultimatum in the form of a treaty with his nemesis. And the evil is thus won over by the combined efforts of Viju and the villager.
You can see Viju stepping out of the “Ark (another play on popular mythology?) Mental Wellness Centre” and joining Esther in the streets of Amsterdam (an excuse for a foreign land scene?).
That's about it...
The movie builds up and holds on till two hours into it… after which our expectations are met with disappointments or unanswered questions.
The background score by Resul Pookutty keeps us hooked throughout and the high budget graphics are quite captivating, matched by Fahad's acting skills. The villains could have had more to contribute. And an ending justified could have made it a hit from all sides.
Trance is a high dose of drama that falls a little off the mark but manages to have an impact nonetheless.
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Read: Helen Movie Review
Helen is a “chilly” survival thriller woven with the intense dad-daughter relationship. It is a common theme in Hollywood but Desi audience can feel a freshness about the movie. It was released under the banner of Vineeth Sreenivasan who is famous for his feel-good movies. check out here Helen Malayalam Movie Review
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