PremiumAaraattu movie review: All-out Mohanlal show works only when it doesn’t take itself too seriously
The film, which begins with a bang but fails to sustain that momentum, often plays out like sketches of Mohanlal's previous memorable films woven together. The references are plenty - from films of similar genre such as Narasimham, Aaraam Thampuran and Lucifer to those like His Highness Abdullah, Chithram and Chandralekha - but doesn't add anything to the storyline
Last Updated: 06.24 PM, Feb 18, 2022
Story: After loan shark Edathala Mathai faces opposition from the authorities and villagers of Muthalakotta to level a massive area reserved for agriculture, he leases it to Neyyattinkara Gopan, who apparently arrives to do his bidding. Soon he takes the villagers into confidence and also makes allies of a group of youth, who are the self-appointed protectors of the residents, with the promise of hosting an AR Rahman concert that could help achieve all of their goals. But that's not the only aim of Neyyattinkara Gopan.
Review: A chief reason that director B Unnikrishnan highlighted to watch Aaraattu in theatres, during the film's promotions, was that Mohanlal hasn't done such a 'mass masala' film in the past few years. In fact, it's almost been six years since the actor arguably got it right with Pulimurugan.
For Aaraattu, the film's scriptwriter Udaykrishna, who has been the Malayalam industry's go-to guy for 'mass' entertainers, sticks to a familiar template - a mass hero introduction, couple of comedy characters, action scenes and an ending that tries to paint its protagonist as a larger-than-life figure. This works in parts for the Mohanlal-starrer and solely because of the superstar's newfound energy and body language, or plainly because he enjoys doing these movies more. In fact, it wouldn't be amiss to state that Mohanlal finds himself more at home playing Neyyattinkara Gopan than Murugan.
The job is also made easier because the film, which begins with a bang and sustains that momentum in the first half, often plays out like sketches of Mohanlal's previous memorable films woven together. The references are plenty - from films of similar genre such as Narasimham, Aaraam Thampuran and Lucifer to those like His Highness Abdullah, Chithram and Chandralekha. These sequences coupled with Mohanlal, Sidhique and Johny Antony’s over-the-top performances make for some laugh-out-loud moments.
Some of the scenes like the one from Manichithrathazhu though are squeezed in just for nostalgia’s sake and given that it’s used multiple times in various films over the year, it hardly has any impact. The references too are pretty in your face, except for a certain lawyer from Narasimham which is sure to keep fans of both camps happy. The movie though also has a tasteless reference to actor Dileep, which could have easily been avoided, even if it was to broach the subject of AR Rahman’s birth name. The scriptwriter also tries to borrow a formula from Tamil movies of Rajinikanth and Vijay, lending Mohanlal’s protagonist signature gestures. Also, why does Neyyattinkara Gopan switch to Telugu while talking to villains if he has an ulterior mission? These scenes, as standalone moments, are somewhat enjoyable, but they add very little to the story.
The makers too seem to have realised this and try to overcompensate this in the second half. This slackens the pace for a few reasons. The unconvincing sequences of having a veteran like Mohanlal play a doting son to aged parents who are almost his age quickly transports the audience who are in for a fun, ‘mass’ entertainer to reality. The meter that Mohanlal has adopted for Neyyattinkara Gopan’s scenes also has a huge impact on the sequences that do not feature him; there’s a huge fall in the energy and how these are paced out in the second half. Add to it a long tail-end sequence that is evidently force-fitted for a sequel and the enjoyability that was there in the first half of the film quickly fizzles out.
The film has a huge star cast including Nedumudi Vanu, Lukman Avaran, Rachana Narayanankutty and Saikumar, but apart from a select few such as Sidhique, Johny Antony, Vijayaraghavan, Ashwin Kkumar and Kottayam Ramesh, none are used to their potential. The characters come and go, almost like Twenty-20 and Karyasthan, which are also co-scripted by Udaykrishna. Sharddha Srinath doesn’t get to do much in her Mollywood re-entry. Another highlight the makers have been pushing was AR Rahman’s cameo, which only serves as a backdrop of another action scene. Talking about the stunt sequences, the team has gone all-out for this film and it shows too in the three major action scenes.
Rahul Raj’s background score complements the mood of the film and is used well at the ‘mass’ moments. The actor also has given his twist to some of the memorable musical moments from Mohanlal’s yesteryear hits and that also works well. Vijay Ulaganath’s cinematography gives the movie the appeal that a big-budget entertainer requires. The songs are all visually epic in scope and doesn’t really reveal that the film was shot while the pandemic restrictions were enforced. The only place where there is a disconnect is the concert portion.
Verdict: Mohanlal’s spirited performance, ample comedy and action sequences make Aaraattu’s runtime of 167 minutes enjoyable for most parts. While the makers do lose the plot in the second half, it’s a decent watch for die-hard Mohanlal fans that can be enjoyed in theatres, preferably in the company of more Mohanlal fans.