Thanks: 
Likes: 
Aarattu: A Watchable Masala Entertainer
Venue: Novo Ibn Battutta, 8:40 am
Status: around 10 people
Having gone into the film with normal expectations of a carnival style entertainer with Mohanlal in full form, I have to honestly say that I wasn't fully satisfied with the outcome. That said, Aarattu is still a movie to be experienced in theaters involving a below average first half, a fab interval punch and decent second half which doesn't rise above average until an excellent last 20 minutes that elevates the overall product quality.
I would say the best way to view Aarattu, especially in the 1st half, is a spoof of old Lal films, some comedy, a 'mass' intro, other characters singing the protagonist's praises etc. Storywise, Aarattu offers nothing new and the screenplay is to blame. In fact more than a B Unnikrishnan film, Aarattu is more an Udaykrishna style film for the most part and somewhat suffers as a result. I would say the last 30 minutes was more the director stepping in and that was where the movie gets better. The AR Rahman show and subsequent fight is a must-see in theaters and magnificently picturised. I felt like I was watching ARR live. The show was really well integrated with the fast-cut punch and kick sequences and Mohanlal looking fit as a fiddle with some mass expressions. The Lal fan in me liked the climax scene but from a neutral perspective, it just felt like another lazy rip-off of Lucifer climax.
Udaykrishna tried something different by presenting Neyattinkara Gopan as a comic figure who ridicules his previous avatars, but I was not sure if Mohanlal was fully comfortable portraying this character especially in the initial portions. I didnt like many of the comic scenes involving Lal though some of the spoof references came out well especially Chandralekha scene. That said, I appreciated the novel attempt to show two sides of the actor someone who says 'Nennu chala dangerous' in one breath and the over-the-top comic figure on the other side. Mohanlal really scores in the portions where he confronts the baddies in a more serious manner right from interval and the fight scenes throughout have been well taken (Lal's flexibility and energy at the age of 60 + is something to wonder at!). I would further state that Mohanlal really did well uttering the various non-Malayalam dialogues that came throughout.
Post the second half, it seemed Mohanlal was more comfortable as his portrayal became more true to his usual self. The rest of the humongous cast don't have much to do with Johnny Antony and Siddique standing out in a bad way. Shradha Srinath was quite good. The villains have not much screen space though Jacobinte Swargarajyam villain (Ashwin Kumar?) did well. Vijay Raghavan was the one actor who really stood out screen presence wise and could stand toe-to-toe with Lal. Sai Kumar was having fun in his brief role.
Technically, Aarattu is worth watching for Rahul Raj's fantastic BGM and colourful cinematography. The cinematographer especially deserves a pat on the back for the 'Muqabala' song. The other songs have come out well, especially Onnam Kunnu, though the addictive theme music could have been utilised better. Sound design is another highlight. Editing in the 1st half could have been better.
Overall, Aarattu is a one-time watchable film showing Mohanlal the star in all his glory with immense screen presence and some well-taken fight scenes. It needed a better script, fewer characters and a more focused story to really become a memorable film. I do wish the 1st half focused more on Gopan as a mysterious, serious character than obsession over comedy and double-meaning dialogues.
Rating: 3/5
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by baappootty
But in this case, it was probably a mistake. Lucifer in Peringotukara Deva during 3rd day was electrifying experience as it was HF
