Reminiscent of the brilliance of
Audrey Hepburn brilliance in that Hitchcock masterpiece Wait Until Dark is
Mohanlal going whole hog to reiterate his brilliance as an actor. What stands
out in this thriller a week after Hrithik showcased his skill sets in Kaabil we
have the actor reveal why is so respected among his peers. The money grosser in
Malayalam has a bad foot fall in Telugu and not very surprising. Here the hero
is talented and does not require to pat his thighs, thump his foot or pull up
dust to announce his arrival. Mohanlal the brand name for talent in his white
lungis is far more impressive than many legends whose fan following may be
legendary but their talent suspect.
Jayaraman (Mohanlal) a visually challenged man is in the city doing odd jobs to
finance his sister’s wedding. In the flats, the residents leave every odd job
to be performed by him. Among them is a retired Supreme Court judge
Krishnamuthy (Nedumudi Venu) who has a story to hide. He takes Jayaram in to
confidence. He convicted Vasudev (Samuthirakani) many years ago, in a rape case
based on the evidence before him. He is aware that Vasudev in now stalking him
with vendetta as his agenda. Tucked away far way in a residential school is a
child Nandini (Baby Meenakshi) whose connect with the judge is subject matter
of wagging tongues. Only Jayaram is privy to the connect and the story of the
past. The retired judge also has for help Sreedevi (Vimala Raman) who has a
husband but is eyeing the visually impaired Jayaraman. After the script labours
to establish the skills of Jayaram and his character, the tale moves to when
the judge is murdered. The police, headed by the Investigating Officer Anand
(Chemban Vinod Jose) are bent upon implicating Jayaram for the murder. Vasudev
who however out from jail is catching up with Jayaram. The task now is to save
Nandini. It is not long before Vasudev gets to know where Nandini is and goes
about executing the task of killing his final intended victim and on the way a
few more.
Perhaps having some box office dictates, the film maker (Priyadarshan) gets
some sentimental masala with the family disowning Jayaram as the police land at
his door step and the family do not want him at the family wedding. When that
is tackled, the film maker reverts to the battle between the angry Vasu and the
alert Jayaram. The finale gets very bloody and long. Priyadarshan somehow often
lays the plot well but gets too complicated with the climax. While this is
alright with comedies, a short and swift finale is sine qua non for a thriller.
Here he falters. While it does help a few to miss the appointment the next
manicure, it gets a tad tiring and exhausts you after a while.
The film is surely worth watching. The story line is interesting and different
form the usual fare that Tollywood hands over in the pretentious understanding
of entertainment. Even the comedy line with Mamukoya and Hareesh is subtle. The
character artists fill the gaps with intensity and credibility. Another worth
mentioning aspect of the film is the amazing cinematography of Ekamabaram who
captures God’s own country in all its picturesque grandeur but lights up the
action scenes with the right lighting.
Central to the film doubtlessly is Mohanlal. This amazing actor yet again makes
for compelling viewing. He has a physique that is far from our acceptable
notions of a mainstream lead player. He does not just defy it (a la Sanjeev
Kumar) but sweeps you off your feet with the brilliance of his work. Just to
salute unadulterated talent, visit the theatre and for a bonus get to seeing an
interesting thriller.
Rating: 3 Stars.
+ Mohanlal
– Editing
L. Ravichander.