It’s no secret that Mohanlal has been trying to expand his market beyond Kerala for the past few years. The star, still the darling of the masses in Kerala, appears to be miffed by the reception to his recent films, particularly Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham. In an interview with Manorama channel that went viral, Mohanlal can be seen praising the Telugu audience for how they reportedly “support” Telugu films and respect their stars. But is that the case here, he asks and laughs dismissively. Perhaps it is this that led director B Unnikrishnan to abandon the Oxford English dictionary used in his last Mohanlal film Villain and turn to Telugu instead.
Written by Udaykrishna, Aaraattu employs not only the bombastic style of filmmaking common in Telugu star vehicles, but also has Mohanlal mouthing punch dialogues in Telugu throughout the film — “Nenu chaala dangerousu” he growls, and none of the Malayalis around him seem surprised that a man named Neyyattinkara Gopan keeps slipping into Telugu in the middle of folding his mundu.
Edathala Mathai (Vijayaraghavan) wants to convert his 18.5 acres of agricultural land in Mudalakkota into a township but since this is against the law, he has to hoodwink the authorities. To do so, he needs a gangster, a monster, a sinister Lucifer. Enter Gaanabooshanam Neyyanttinka Gopan in slow-mo. He’s addressed as Gaanabhooshanam Neyyattinkara Gopan repeatedly in the film, but in the interest of simplicity and the health of my fingers, I’m sticking to typing just Gopan in this review.
Gopan is a sleazy man who passes lewd comments on every woman he meets (one of them is named Swapna in what appears to be a deliberate reference to the Kerala gold smuggling case). He also makes fun of political correctness, including the practice of removing one’s caste name (no marks for guessing where the punches are being thrown). He is, in other words, an assertion that Malayalam filmmakers and actors who’ve been criticised for their misogynistic and insensitive depictions in the past, need not be apologetic or think about evolving. There’s even a joke about actor Dileep, accused of being the mastermind in the actor assault case, that mocks “politically correct” people. This charming person is the hero of Aaraattu, and you have to endure his antics for nearly three hours.
Watch: Trailer of Aaraattu
Shraddha Srinath, who plays the role of RDO Anjali, is the only actor who seems to have taken the film seriously. She keeps her dignity in the few scenes she appears in, looking just as exasperated as I was feeling. Unnikrishnan creates a series of strawman villains, from a group of locals named Mudalakkota Battalion (the talented Lukman is wasted in the role) to a Mumbai adholoka don. All of them exist only to be sent to space by Gopan. Siddique, who seems to have become Mohanlal’s favourite sidekick, plays a comic cop. The actor tries hard to make the unfunny lines work and draws a subdued laugh from the audience occasionally.
The cinematography made me think of Gulliver’s Travels. There were so many low-angle shots that I felt I was in Lilliput, watching giants parade on screen. And then there were so many close-up shots that I felt I was in Brobdingnag where everything was extra-large. It was a surreal experience and not in a good way.
AR Rahman’s cameo is enjoyable simply for the pleasure of listening to ‘Muqabla’ in the theatre audio system. It comes as a relief from the constant, overly loud background score by Rahul Raj.
The script is chock-a-block with references to old Mohanlal films. Such an indulgence can be forgiven if it was limited to a few scenes, but Udaykrishna and Unnikrishnan turn it into a ‘Can you spot the Mohanlal film reference’ quiz that becomes jarring after a point. From Devasuram to Drishyam 2, the script abandons any pretense of being a film in its own right and becomes a laboured effort to showcase Mohanlal’s filmography. In one scene, you hear Shobana’s famous Tamil lines from Manichitrathazhu, in one song you see Kalamandalam Gopi who acted with Mohanlal in Vanaprastham. The screenplay goes haywire, trying to stitch together disparate elements into a cogent storyline. The twists that come in the climax are uncovincing and ridiculously staged.
Yes, we know Mohanlal has starred in several excellent films. The question is, why has it become so rare to see him in such films now? Why do we have to watch these mediocre imitations that celebrate his past glory when he still has a good number of years left in cinema? Mohanlal valiantly speaks in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, English and mercifully some Malayalam in the film. Truly, it would be a marvel to see a pan-Indian film from Kerala, but before we get there, shouldn’t filmmakers ensure that the film works at least for the audience at home?
Aaraattu is one of those films that can be classified as ‘strictly for the fans’, but can a true fan actually be happy that this is the genre that the star is increasingly turning towards?
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.