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Uncle
Uncle
Directed by	Girish Damodar
Written by	Joy Mathew
Screenplay by	Joy Mathew
Produced by	Joy Mathew; Sajai Sebastian
Starring	Mammootty; Joy Mathew; Karthika Muralidharan; Muthumani;
Cinematography	Alagappan N.
Music by	Bijibal
Production; companies	SJ Films; ABRA Movies;
Release date	27 April 2018;
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Uncle is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language drama thriller film directed by Girish Damodar and produced by Joy Mathew and Sajai Sebastian under the banner of SJ Films. It stars Mammootty and Karthika Muralidharan in the lead roles, and Joy Mathew and Muthumani in supporting roles. It was released on 27 April 2018.^[1]^[2]

Plot

Shruthi, a student at Ooty college, is forced to go back to her home in Kozhikode due to the dangerous strikes at the location. Coincidentally, she meets Krishnakumar (KK) her father’s family friend, who offers her a ride back home. She reluctantly accepts this offer, as she has no other safe option.

During the 6-hour drive, KK, whom Shruthi affectionately calls "Uncle", and Shruthi listen to music, tell stories, and look at the scenery. However, KK makes suspicious calls and talks to suspicious people throughout the trip, leading the audience to believe that Shruthi’s safety may be compromised.

Her father back at home is understandably worried, and he fears that he doesn’t know KK, a bachelor, as well as he thought he did. However, her mother convinces her father that Shruthi is alright as both Shruthi and KK are calling home regularly and sound happy over the phone. This fear heightens when KK and Shruthi stay at a Tamilian house overnight, where KK is given a bottle of alcohol and Shruthi’s phone is taken away. However, nothing bad happens; in fact, the host family takes care of Shruthi well and gives back her phone, fully charged. KK tells Shruthi that the Tamilians are leaders of the village, and that she has nothing to worry about.

Meanwhile Shruthi’s father sends her friend Sam to tailgate KK’s car throughout the trip. Shruthi discovers this and invites Sam to ride with them. This fear peaks when KK leaves Sam behind after filling up his car. Now, Shruthi gets even more worried and calls home more frequently.

After passing the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, KK pulls out a pouch of something that looks like crack cocaine, from his pocket, which he found in Sam’s bag. He shows it to Shruthi, which justifies why he left Sam behind.

After this, KK offers some of the alcohol that he got from the Tamilians for Shruthi to taste. Shruthi gets worried at first, but she discovers that the “alcohol” is actually rare honey, which her mother asked KK to bring. Now, Shruthi realizes that she can entrust even her entire life to this uncle. To celebrate, KK takes Shruthi to a special lake, with her parents’ permission. The two are caught taking selfies together by the villagers, who report them to the police under a false pretense that they were in a compromising situation.

Shruthi’s parents come to the station to convince the officer and villagers that she was in the hands of a trusted caregiver. The positive outcome of this ordeal cements Shruthi's parents' faith in KK. Although the last scene may appear silly, it is a real issue prevalent in India today, and this film seeks to address that.^[3]

Cast

Mammootty as Krishnakumar, also known as KK
Joy Mathew as Vijayan, Shruthi's father
Karthika Muralidharan as Shruthi
Muthumani as Lakshmi, Shruthi's mother
Suresh Krishna as Vishwan
K. P. A. C. Lalitha as Ammachi
Gowri Nandha as Dr. Sumithra
Ganapathi S. Poduval as Sam, Shruthi's friend
P R Rajasekharan as Santhosh (Happy)
Babu Annur
Meghanathan as SI Jeevandan
Kailash as Nelson
Kalabhavan Haneef as Baputti
Jennifer Antony

Reception

Times of India gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Uncle comes at a time when society is confused and striving to break free from conventions and prejudices. It spreads hope, a commodity that was never needed more than at this point of time."^[4]

Deccan Chronicle rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote, "Girish Damodar, on his debut, appears a promising director, with his well-planned making, eliminating unwanted sequences. The cinematography, editing and background score also deserve due credit."^[5]

Anna M. M. Vetticad of firstpost rated the film 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "When it is at its best, Uncle: My Dad’s Friend is an excellent psychological drama bordering on a work of genius. By making needless overt attempts to manipulate the audience though, it robs itself of its potential greatness."^[6]