Richie movie review: Nivin Pauly like we’ve never seen him before

One of the three big stars of the younger generation of Malayalam film industry, Nivin Pauly will make his Tamil debut with Richie and understandably there is lot of excitement. Richie is the remake of the hit Kannada film, Ulidavaru Kandanthe directed by Rakshit Shetty. The Tamil remake has been directed by Gautham Ramachandran. A taut suspense drama, there couldn’t have been a better launchpad for Nivin.

Richie makes Nivin’s first straight Tamil entry, who already enjoys a big fan base in the state, thanks to the success of Premam and his other Malayalam hits.

Nivin plays a gangster and a glimpse of his character from the teaser released earlier has already created quite a sensation. Nivin has also dubbed for the first time in his own voice in the film, which also stars cinematographer-actor Natty, Shraddha Srinath, Lakshmi Priyaa and Prakash Raj.

The Kannada original Ulidavaru Kandanthe is a crime thriller, which unfolds in a coastal Karnataka town close to Udipi, when Krisha Janmasthami is in full swing. A murder takes place in the midst of all the festivity and the story unfolds as the crime is narrated from five different perspectives. The film involves an anthology of five stories, all connected to the murder. Starring Rakshit Shetty, the film was a major hit in Karnataka.

Nivin’s role in Richie is unlike anything audiences have seen so far. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle earlier this year, Gautham said: “The character of Richie will be a stark contrast from what the audiences, even in Kerala, have seen Nivin do so far. If they had categorised him in any way, Richie will be diagonally opposite to that, I’m sure.”