‘Anikulapo’ Netflix Movie Review - Folk Tales and Greed

Aníkúlápó is about Saro and how he changed with time with new girls being introduced to him. At the start of the film, we see that Saro is lying on the ground, he is severely bleeding, and then a bird comes to take his life. That bird is the Akala which is believed to be the deciding factor in whether a person should be given another chance at life or not. The story then takes us to the past to make the audience understand why Saro landed up there.

A young man, Saro has come to Oyoile in search of work. He is an aso-ofi weaver and soon gets spotted by the man-eater of the Oyo town, Awarun. She is seen spending nights with numerous men, but never falls for them or wishes to marry them. A parallel scene is also running in which we see Queen Arolake being mistreated by her fellow Queens because the King is partial towards her. Older Queens insult Arolake and say that she's just for King's pleasure. Arolake can not bear children and hence, is disliked by others. When she comes across Saro, they feel an instant connection. The rest of the film is about them falling in love, Saro changing his ways, and finally, him being brought again to death.

Lust plays the main role throughout this movie. In my opinion, the movie had a lot to show and tell, but 142 minutes feels tiresome. The writers had a great story in mind, and it would have been better if the duration had been reduced or the same would have been converted into a series. The plot is nothing that one could have expected, as it brings something unique to the audience. 

At the beginning of the film itself, the narrator talks about a prophecy and the mystical bird Akala whose responsibility is to decide if one has died an uneventful life and should be resurrected or should be sent to the afterlife. These things arouse the curiosity of the audience and they feel stuck in their place until the very last minutes of the film. Saro's excessive pride leads to his downfall, and this is a lesson to the audience that they should never become so blind that they forget to live down to earth. Lust forms the main backdrop of this film as it drives everything in Saro's life 

Final Score – [7.5/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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