Reviews

Early in the film, when the policeman enter the house with the culprit, that scene instantly reminded me of the Big B starter, Khakee.

Yet the makers went ahead with a bold treatment and give a different narrative when compared to the above mentioned film. The events showcased in the film blurred along with the daily aspects of the life especially when one considers the day to day political & religious events that occurs in our surrounding.

Apart from cinematography and the above mentioned aspects regarding the film what stood out regarding the film was the performance of the actors.

The highlights being Roshan Mathews, Prithiviraj, Mammukoya & Srinda.

Had the film released in the nearest cinema audience would have cheered at the entry of Prithviraj( praise should be given for the role he enacted, perhaps after Krithyam this was his first role in Malayalam with such shades) or the sarcastic yet humorous one liners from Mammukoya.

The only drawback of the film was it's predictable second half, yet with a running time of 123 minutes, the film wards of from being a tedious watch unlike Malik.

Patriot Games is based on the famous novel of the same name written by Tom Clancy & is the sequel to 1990 film, The Hunt for the Red October in which the character of Jack Ryan is the principal protagonist and was portrayed by Alec Baldwin. In this however, Alec Baldwin is replaced by Harrison Ford.

The plot involves a PIRA terrorist's attempts to murder Ryan for killing his brother as well foiling the assassination of a influential member of Royal Family. The rest of the film showcases whether Ryan is able to thwart the assassination attempts on him & his family with help of CIA.

Before analyzing i would like to mention that despite being on my wish list I have not read the novels of this series.

When I saw Patriot Games & when I compare it with it's prequel, The Hunt for Red October, I felt this film to be more of a family action thriller (like Firewall or Air Force One), than being a conventional spy thriller like it's prequel. Despite all these drawbacks I found the film to be entertaining, akin to the action films of it's time with it's action scenes to the highlights of the film.

In term of performance i would rate the performance of Harrison Ford, Sean Bean & Anne Archer as the highlight of the film. With Harrison Ford enacting his role in saving his family and members of Royal family very well (I don't think Ford would have portrayed the same role in it's prequel with such finesse as I thought Baldwin to be better in that role) , while Sean Bean was menacing and ruthless as a villain who is hell bent on destroying Ryan, in fact I would describe his performance better than Ford's. Anne Archer enacted her role well as a supporting wife of Ryan especially when she supports her husband to join CIA after her initial inhibition. But I was disappointed with James Earl Jones's role as Ryan's boss as when compared to it's prequel his presence in this film was pretty miniscule in nature.

On the whole it's not on par with it's original, but for the lovers of action films this is an entertaining and is a good way to spend 120 minutes along with a bowl of popcorn.

In the Indian political spectrum of the late 1980s, the infamous Syed Modi case had created a huge ruckus in the national media along with the unstable coalition govt that the country had.

Chargesheet has partly been inspired from the Syed Modi Case and it happens to be the 2nd media venture based on that incident, after the Dev Anand directed Sau Crore made way back in early 90s.

In terms of technical aspects, despite being a well made series in terms of storytelling the serious is a complete disappointment as the presence of continuous flashback kept me confused till the very end with the court scenes being the highlight of the film. In terms of performance except for Shiv Pandit (who i feel was under utilized), all actors enacted their parts well with Sikandar Kher, Tridha Chaudhary, Arunoday Singh & Satish Kaushik being the highlight in terms of performance.

To date i have seen three web series produced by ZEE 5, which includes Rangbaaz, The Final Call & Chargesheet. The common thing about these web series, that i would like to point out is like Sacred Games, all the series of the platform delves between past and present in a matter of scenes. It worked well for Rangbaaz or The Final Call but the same cannot about Chargesheet considering the subject matter that the producers had. Due to which i once again mention had the execution of the serial been better like Rangbaaz we as a viewers would have got a memorable web series. Hope in the future we as viewers would get to see another memorable series like Rangbaaz

A lady aspires to be an actress, but on the way of achieving it she is exploited by the scrupulous element associated with it. Does she succeed in it is what the rest of the film shows. Despite the noble intention that the film tries to showcase, the end result of the film can be termed as an disappointment, as it was only a body show for the lead actress.

What saddens is, acclaimed actors like Prasad Oak, Bharat Ganeshpure, Bhau Kadam, Vaibhav Mangle & Mrunmayee Deshpande are badly wasted or utilized and one would feel that they acted only for the monetary benefit & to add it, the atrocious songs the film had. Meanwhile actors like Siddharath Jadhav & Suvrat Joshi hammed to such an extent that, there mere presence would irritate an individual & the female protagonist Neha Khan was just there to display her body.

The film retains my inhibition about the films directed or produced by Mahesh Manjrekar. Except for Vaastav & Matichya Chuli there hasn't been any film of his that has kept me excited. The same happened when i saw the biography on Pu La Deshpande, due to this reason i have refrained his directorial venture NataSamrat.

If more films like Shikari are made then it would definitely bring down the standard of Marathi Cinema, when films like Dhurala, Masala & Ani Kashinath Ghanekar are trying to raise the standards of the industry.

Even though Nandanam is projected as Prithviraj's debut film, it was this unpronounceable title that had released first. I had never heard of this film at the time of it's release and just because it had been directed by Rajasenan (he had made many memorable films with Jayaram in the decade of 90s) i decided to give this film a try. The story involves a newly married couple (Prithviraj & Gayathri Raghuram) who are on the verge of committing suicide thereafter we are shown the events of how they marry in a flashback of sorts. Such films were made in quite large numbers during late 90s and early 00s with prospects of introducing new actors in the industry, out of which only Prithviraj & Jayasurya have managed to remain relevant with the former being one of the dominant superstars of the industry, unfortunately many of them were ridden with cliches. As the film is marred with cliches it is quite tedious to watch this 150 minute flick as it test your patience in many ways. Even the comedy elements that usually is seen in a Rajasenan movie is missed severely despite of the presence of Jagathy. In terms of performance only Prithviraj (makes a confident debut and makes you aware why he is the leading star of the industry) & Kalabhavan Mani (since he starred in many critical roles as a lead, many filmmakers like IV Sasi made films with him as the lead) make impact in their respective roles, otherwise supporting actors like Narendra Prasad or Jagathy were relegated in their usual roles which were nothing to boast of.

When one reads the basic synopsis of the film, one would think of the interesting concept that the film has to offer. But the final outcome of the film would make the moviegoer a bit disappointed. The film revolves around two friends, who start a lodge with difference being that the occupants are charged on a hourly basis rather than the usual ones that we see. As the charges are on a hourly basis, it attracts many love birds, which unfortunately draw the ire of local political group who are carrying their work of moral policing. Whether the friends succeed in their endeavour or not is what the rest of the film deals with.

With the film being more than 2 hours and with a shoddy direction & cinematography, it would test one's patience after a while. The few positive aspects of the movie are its concept, performance of its actors in the form of Zeeshan Quadri, Jaideep Ahlawat & Kunal Roy Kapoor & certain slapstick jokes makes the film a strict one time watch.

Many say that we as viewers should give chance to small - budget film, but with films like Hotel Milan, it would not keep a viewer motivated enough to watch such films in cinemas in any manner.

The biggest irony while writing the review of this film made me realize that the happenings of Instant Divorce is today considered to be an criminal offence.

The film revolves around a couple, were the husband in a fit of rage instantly divorces his wife. As per the customs, to remarry the wife has to undergo a Nikah halala (for the lady to remarry her first husband, the lady has to marry another man, consumate it and attain the divorce from her 2nd Husband) . Rest of the film shows whether the lady intends to remarry her first husband or remain happily married with her new husband.

The negative aspect of the film was the alien customs that they had shown in the film, was difficult for the non follower of the religion a bit difficult to understand, due to which it felt a bit slow towards the 2nd half of the film. Otherwise the performance from its protagonist (comprising of ever reliable Chinmay Mandlekar & Priyadarshan Jadhav along with its female protagonsit Pritam Kagne) was first rate along with its well complimented supporting actors. The rustic village dropback was also well shown in the film. Overall, it is a strict one time watch, with the performance of the main cast to be taken into notice. (A web series in an app named Ullu, had shown a series on the same subject)

This is one of the first web series launched by MX Player. The series deals with its protagonist, Ricky Malhotra's, a good for nothing brat, search for a bride through a marriage bureau (headed by Seema Pahwa). The marriage bureau arranges for a meeting with five prospective brides on each day the following week. But the issue among the prospective brides are that each have some flaw among themselves (ranging from obesity, baldness, divorcee, hairy, foul mouthed) & the question is if they would change it for their marriage. Despite the maker's intention and to showcase such an interesting concept & the performance of its cast, the execution of the subject was not that encouraging and could have been handled in a better and satirical manner if the writing was better. On the whole it was a mediocre start for the creator of the platform and hope it manages to create a watchable content in the future.

In 2011, critically derided author Chetan Bhagat had written a book named Revolution 2020, in which the author exposed the way in which education business was run. But the romantic elements made it a forgetable read. Come 2017, Biswa Kalyan Rath, for this season, has successfully created a anthology series on the functioning of coaching institutes for engineering colleges. It shows the story of a boy named Aakash (portrayed by Ritwik Sahore), who struggles to cope with the hectic sylabus for the coaching of entrance into IIT, who had join because of the pressure from his parents. Each episodes shows the high's & low's that the protagonist has to deal in the institute along with his friends and personnels of the institute.

The acting of Ritwik Sahore (quiet different from the role he portrayed in Ferrari Ki Sawari) , Alam Khan & Shivkumar Subranium (extremely under-rated actor)are the highlights of the film with the only drawback being its unbelievable climax, otherwise it is a memorable watch.

The serials aired in Dooradarshan in comparison to the soaps that aired in today's channels were quite ahead of its time, considering the content and talent involved in creating it. Unfortunately it was disrupted and went into ruin and the credit for it should be given to Ekta Kapoor. When she started ALT Balaji i had similar apprehension in watching its shows. To my surprise ALT Balaji produced, Mission Over Mars is quite an engaging watch and i would rate it better than its cinematic counterpart, Mission Mangal, which was more about kitchen politics rather than disclosing the technical aspects of the mission. Even though the trademark of an Ekta Kapoor serial is seen in small doses but it can be written off over the way in which the entire serial is presented & the credit for it should be given to its director, Vinay Waikul, who rather resorting on cliches worked succeeded in showcasing the scientific and technical aspects of the mission. In terms of performance, among the four protagonist the veteran Sakshi Tanwar made the most of out of the role. The only negative aspect of the series was the parts involving Mona Singh and her family which made it the most irritating aspect of the series. Among the supporting actors Ashish Vidyarthi was a surprise and was quite unusual to see him enact a positive roles as in the past he has mainly acted in the villainous roles.

On the whole it is a well produced series and can be watched over its cinematic counterpart which was possible due to the performance of its actors and its effective direction.

Aside from James Bond & Jason Bourne series, for the lovers of spy film genre, Jack Ryan is also a prominent series of the genre. Adapted from the novel - The Hunt for Red October written by Tom Clancy. The story showcases about a Navy General, (portrayed by Sean Connery) commanding a Soviet Submarine, choosing to defect from Soviet Union to USA for the reason best known to him. On the American side, the protagonist- Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) must convince his military & political bosses for the Soviet General defecting to be genuine, rather than following their Soviet counterparts. The rest of the film deals in how the protagonist is successful or not in convincing his bosses.

The main highlight of the film is its two protagonist namely Sean Connery (few famous roles from Connery that does not happen to be James Bond) & Alec Baldwin and the direction of McTiernan's makes it a compelling watch, considering the thrill element that it was able to maintain till the end of the film. Among the supporting actors James Earl Jones, Sam Neil & Scott Glen stood out the most. Another positive of the film was its graphic scenes featuring the submarine chases, for a film made in late 80s, the graphics of the film was quite compelling.

On the whole i would rank The Hunt for the Red October as one of the entertaining films of its genre. It's sad that the studio bosses of Paramount did not give the series much importance as to how MGM gives to the Bond series. Otherwise like Bond, for a casual film-goer the later films of Jack Ryan would have raked huge money at the box office.

When Kabali was released i was thrilled with the way of its presentation. But after seeing Kaala and when i retrospect Kabali, the director in some way or the other was trying to glorify the suffering of discrimination and poverty of the past and present.

The story is about a politician trying to acquire the slums , in which the protagonist- Kaala acts as a messiah for the people living in the dwelling, for which the politician would up to any extent in achieving it.

The story may be appealing to the viewers, but as the movie progresses it blatantly glorifies poverty and anarchy. As a result it very much seemed as a tool for the director to support his ideology. I would pity, if Rajnikanth joins and if this is his ideology that he envision to promote, then it would be better for the entrepreneurs to pack their bags from the state. (No puns intended)

The single star which is mandatory to be given is for the enigmatic performance of Nana Patekar as the villain, Hari Dada. The performance was such that it would make viewers forget that Rajnikant was at his opposide end in the head- head scene. Before this performance i used to consider Nana as an over-rated actor but this performance removed all my apprehension regarding him and now i tend to understand why people rate him highly.

The director has announced that his next would be a biopic on the freedom fighter Birsa Munda. If the director is hell bent on glorfying the suffering then it is better to be avioided.

Before catapulting himself into stardom with a film named Thalasthanam. As an actor Suresh Gopi tried to gain recognition by acting in supporting roles, family dramas, multi-starrers and low budget male leads as well as villian in films such as News, Kouthuka Varthakal, Witness, Innale, Parampara and many more.Ulsavamelam is a rare Suresh Gopi film which has a dose of comedy, drama, action & mystery.

The plot involves a feud between two branches of a aristocratic family who fight over the rights of hosting the temple festival in a village. When a dominant family wins the right over the hosting. They call the protagonist who is a seasoned performer in festival functions but he has his ulterior motives as he comes to investigate his father's death. The rest of the film deals in how the protagonist solves the dispute between the two families and solves his father murder with the help of an outsider, who has a mysterious link with the two feuding faction, from the fringe elements of the village.

Ulsavmelam as a film defines the very essence of a low budget Malayalam film (i.e Substance over Style) that dominated in its Golden Age from mid 80 to early 90s. Main leads featuring Suresh Gopi, Urvashi enact their parts well. But the star performer of the film is Narendra Prasad, who enacted his part with perfection. And in years to come we see him establishing himself as a prominent villian of Malayalam Cinema with films like Thalasthanam, Sthalathe Pradhana Payyans & Aaraam Thamburaan. Actors like Sankaradi, Jaganatha Varma, Jagathy, Innocent, KPAC Lalitha enact their roles in their usual manner & the direction of Suresh Unnithan was quite good. The few drawback that the film had was its wafer thin plot and the second of the film especially towards the climax was unnecessarily stretched.

Overall Ulsavamelam is a must watch for those who prefer the scenic films that dominated Malayalam cinema in early 90s.

Until the release of Khiladi majority of the earlier films starring Akshay Kumar were cringe worthy. A film named Deedar was supposed to be his first film but its release was delayed until 1992. Despite being an unheard film until watching the film, i gave this film a try for two reasons. One being Akshay kumar's debut film and the second being it was directed by Raj N Sippy, who had directed well known films like Inkaar, Satte Pe Satta & Satyamev Jayate. But these reasoning are not enough to like this film as it was a predictable and cringe worthy film were in recent time the only film it can be compared with is Marjavaan, thanks to its predictable story and dialogues being uttered in poetic verses.

The story involves a woman avenging the murder of her family against a egoistic landlord by making her son marry the daughter of the landlord. As a promise given to his mother, the male lead (Akshay Kumar) goes up to any extent in fulfilling it?

In terms technical aspect the direction by Raj Sippy was pathetic when compared to the aforementioned films. The writer, Iqbal Durrani, could have worked on a slightly better script considering later in the year he wrote another mediocre film named Phool Aur Kaante (also starring a debutant in the form of Ajay Devgn). In the films of 90s the songs tended to be melodious but the film fails in that as well as none of the songs are memorable & the only positive that the film has to offer is its villain Pankaj Dheer, who if acted in 70s and 80s could have become a memorable villain and the fighting sequences of Akshay Kumar. Meanwhile it was sad to see Rakhee act in such film when there was a time when she was considered to be the most versatile actress of her era and unfortunately she continued the trend by acting in films like Barood & Sham Ghanshyam. Regarding Mukesh Khanna, his over the top performance was at its worse and it was better if he limited such acting in mythological serials. Same goes with the performance of its female lead- Shantipriya.

On the whole Saugandh is a forgettable film and can be recommended to those who want to see how Akshay Kumar acted in his debut film. (Considering the memorable films that he became a part of it is a pity he had to debut with such film. But these stuggles made him work hard and become one of the acclaimed actors in the industry)

The two horse/car stunt that we saw in Golmaal & Son of Sardaar was inspired from Ajay Devgn's debut film Phool Aur Kaante. He made a mark at the box office right from his first film after it grossed more than its rival Lamhe (directed by veteran late Yash Chopra) which was released on the same day despite the latter being a better film.

The first half of the film is set as a love story with the second half turning into a family action drama which involves who's who of the city's underworld. In terms of performance it is Amrish Puri who steals the show as a underworld don who tries to mend relationship with his son (i.e. Ajay Devgn) & goes up to any extend in doing it. Ajay Devgn impresses with his action sequences but there was nothing to note about his performance in terms of acting, the trend of acting in such films continued for the actor till mid/late 90s as many of his movies were of similar nature. Madhoo has a mediocre role as Ajay Devgn's lover/wife and has nothing to boast off (later on in 1992,the actress gains critical acclaim by starring in Roja). Raza Murad, Suresh Chatwal & Satyen Kappu enact their respective roles in usual manner as villains & supporting role.

On the whole it is an average film and a strict one time with Amrish Puri being the highlight of the film.

Way back in late 80s-90s, family dramas which featured melodramatic cliches made careers out of actors like Govinda & Alka Kubal in Hindi & Marathi cinemas respectively. Hyped as the first Marathi film to be shot in USA, the film turns out to be a disappointment thanks to cliches shown in the films of similar nature. The plot involves an aged lady going to USA to meet her son whose presence acts as a irritant for her daughter in law. The first half showcases the struggle the lady has to face especially getting adjusted to the culture of the other nation as well as the language barrier she has to face. In the second half the lady changes her attitude and the remaining film showcases how she earns the respect of her detractors. The main highlight of the film was the performance of its main lead Dr. Meena Nerurkar (also the film's director) who is well supported by actors like Sai Gundewar & Apurva Bhalerao. The cinematography considering a Marathi film shot in USA was equally good. Unfortunately, due to the films of similar nature, the end product leaves a lot to be desired. The talented actors like Vikram Gokhale & Vijay Chavan were also not utilized as per their potential.

On the whole it is a strict one time watch and in case the viewers are interested they better watch classic melodramas/tearjerkers starring Alka Kubal which on a sarcastic note greatly glorified the struggles of a woman.

Unlike the cinematic universe of Marvel or DC, the Valiant Cinematic Universe hardly evokes any satisfaction for the movie-goers even or the fans of Valiant Comics . As the biggest drawback with the film is that it is more of an action film than a superhero film or in other words it is a Vin Diesal film over a superhero film. Vince Diesel entirely owns the film. The action sequences and the chemistry between Diesel and Lamorne were one of the few highlights of the film. Otherwise the supporting actors including Guy Pearce or Eiza Gonzalez are under-utilized and the film is entirely predictable. Considering the box office receipt of the film it is doubtful if the film have any sequel or expand into a larger cinematic universe.

Thanks to whounit films of the past like CBI series or the number of action-cop drama's starring Suresh Gopi, Malayalam film audiences have accepted the genre of such kind & with the success of recent film like Anjaam Pathiraa the genre in seeing a resurgance in the industry.

The film involves a forensic officer who involves himself in the investigation of serial killings of small girls. The rest of the film deals with how the protagonist defies his superior's and tries to stop the serial killing which to large extent affects his personal life as well.

Forensic as a film easily fits into the genre of whodunit film. It is effective in building up the thrill element of the film and would keep its viewers gripped to the seats till the very end. The main protagonist which involves Tovino and Mamta enact their parts well but majority of the supporting actors feel under-utilized. The 2nd half of the film involves certain cliches and the cinematography of the film is medicore as it looks like it has been inspired from RGV type of camera work. Same can be said about the stunt sequences as well.

The ending of the film gave an indication of a sequel in case if it releases i would looking forward to it. On the whole it is a must watch for the lovers of investigative thriller and would be more excited for more such films to come.

Hindi film viewer's from late 80s to early 2000s were used to staple of films starring Sunny Deol, were he portrayed numerous roles of angry young man fighting against the establishment/corrupt businesses which were lapped by the masses. Before becoming an action star with films like Arjun, Dacait & Ghayal, Sunny Deol acted in number of romantic films with Betaab being his debut film along with Amrita Singh. The plot of the film is simple and is the one that we see in majority of romantic films of its time. The film's highlight are it's scenery, melodious songs and earnest performance from all its actors (including strong performance fron its debut pair) and the director (Rahul Rawail) with this film had mastered the art of making Romantic films (with Love Story being another trend setter).

On the whole this a must watch for the fans of Sunny Deol and for the one's who would like to see him in a different role then Betaab tops the list.

Outside Star Wars & Indiana Jones, it's been a long time Harrison Ford has had a success at the box office. Call of the Wild may be his last outing as a leading man at the box office if we put aside the reputed franchises. Adapted from the novel written by Jack London, it tells the story of a pampered dog who is kidnapped and sold in the market, after which he experiences hardships and yearns for a freedom in the midst of the Alaskan Gold Rush held in 1890s. Harrison Ford as an alcoholic along with its supporting cast gives an earnest performance with its CGI of its location and the dog being the highlight of the film especially the scenes in which buck endures the separation at different stages was quite emotional. The only drawback of the film was its slow second half which affected the pace of the film at the end.

Overall this film would be acclaimed by critics but doubts may come over its box office success despite its positive review. It is pity that Fox has been taken over by Disney and it would be difficult to ascertain if the studio would greenlit such films for the audiences flocking to the theatre's.

According to Daniel Craig, the serious undertones that we see in Bond movies can be thanked to Austin Powers. Rather than hearing it from a person who prefers to slash his wrists for playing the Bond, I would prefer watching this trilogy.

The plot of the first film is inspired from the Bond movies of the past is a enjoyable flick and is good way to spend one's ninety minutes. Mike Myers as a womanizing secret agent and a evil villian is the highlight of the film and would be difficult to imagine someone else enacting these roles. The supporting cast comprising of Elizabeth Hurley, Robert Wagner & Mindy Sterling were fun to watch and compliment in Myer's respective roles. It is sad that we don't get to see such comedic films in the cinemas any longer.

(Only drawback of the film was they should have credited Tom Arnold and included him in the future installments)

Majority of critics used to sum up Padmarajan's film ahead of its times & this film sticks to the tag of being ahead of it's time. The theme of the film is still relevant in today's time as well. The film is effective in showcasing the issues that are still relevant in present times, were the concept of nuclear families are leaving their ancestrial house for greener pasturer's and sending their elderly ones to old age homes after selling their ancestral properties. All the actors have enacted their parts well and each contributed to the film in a effective manner.

Recently i saw an interview of an actor in which he talks of how a film can be saved despite its mediocre first half. Unfortunately this film faces just the opposite of what the actor said- an impressive 1st half but a mediocre 2nd half. The film, a revenge drama moves with a gripping and engaging 1st half with impressive action sequences and romantic numbers, unfortunately its 2nd half proceeds with illogical sequences and cliches which we have seen in other films and ruins the film in its entirety.

Among the actors Anil Kapoor's role as a cop is the most memorable and it is amazing to see him enact in such roles at a time when his contemporaries are struggling for relevance. Kunal Khemu is another actor who shines in this film and it seems that he would be getting more accolades by acting in such roles rather than going for lead roles. Aditya Roy Kapoor (impresses with his physique) and Disha Patni have enacted the same roles which we have seen them enact in the past.

On the whole the film could have been memorable had the director worked with its 2nd half.

I have never enjoyed the individual ventures directed by Siddique. Except for its humorous elements i did not enjoy his hits like Hitler, Friend or Bodyguard either. For the first time director ventures into an action film entirely. But the end result is a snooze fest and continues director's decline in making quality films. What the story promises and how the end result turns would even make die hard Mohanlal fans disillusioned with the film. The film entirely relies on the shoulder of Mohanlal but it dampens out because of its illogical action sequences and cliches involved. Among the supporting actors the trio of Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Tini Tom & Irshad enact their parts well but actors like Anoop Menon, Arbaaz Khan, Siddique, Asif Basra are wasted in their respective roles despite the potential.

Last year began with a snooze fest like Mikhael. This year and decade begins with a bigger debacle like Big Brother. Director Siddique should take inspiration from director's like Joshiy in reinventing their films according to audience's present liking. Also Mohanlal should become more selective in films rather than acting in disastrous films of such nature. It is a pity that legends like Mammootty and Mohanlal have to act in such films when their contemporaries in other regional film industry or bollywood are trying reinvent themselves with unconventional roles.

I was never fond of the individual films directed by Siddique. Even if it is critically acclaimed Friends, Hitler or Chronic Bachelor or flops like Ladies & Gentleman & Fukri. For the first time Siddique directs an action film entirely, which turns out to be a disastrous experience for both the viewers and die hard Mohanlal fans. The plot involves Mohanlal being released from prison after serving a sentence of 24 years. How a socially awkward Mohanlal reacts with the changes is shown in the first half of the film after which he portrays a messiah type role in the second half of the film.

All the cliches which were shown in the blockbusters of the past has been repeated in this snooze fest with over the top action sequences which would put Telugu movies in shame as well.

Despite these drawbacks Mohanlal stands out with his performance but it makes viewers wonder why does he have to act in such a film despite achieving all kind of laurels. Among the supporting cast the trio of Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Tini Tom & Irshad enact their parts well meanwhile the other supporting actors like Anoop Menon, Siddique, Asif Basra & Arbaaz Khan are wasted because of the shoddy script and lack of character development.

It is high time that a director like Siddique stops relying on his past laurels and start working on developing a better script (for inspiration let him see Joshiy's latest work). Regarding Mohanlal, it is better that he starts selecting better scripts rather than working in disasters like Neerali, Ittymani or Big Brother after giving hopes of vintage Mohanlal after acting in films like Puli Murugan, Odiyan or Lucifer.

(Last year began with a dud like Mikhael, this year/decade began with a bigger disaster like Big Brother which should be seen at your own risk. It is also sad that Malayalam Film Industry is declining in the number of quality films even in comparison with a smaller regional film industry like Marathi which produced one of the greatest political film in recent times)