Not many wait for the closing credits of a film to roll out in a theatre. But if you do wait for a few moments after the last scene of director B. Unnikrishnan’s Aaraattu, a line appears on the screen: ‘An Unrealistic Mass Entertainer’. One might wonder if this is a dig at the Malayali audience whose palettes have evolved with what we now call the ‘new wave’ of Malayalam cinema. Whatever the intention, the team honestly sums up the movie for you with this one line that is proudly displayed.
The Mohanlal-starrer is set in a picturesque Palakkad village called Muthalakkotta. We are introduced to four youngsters who form the ‘Muthalakotta Battalion’. These young men are very actively involved in development of the village. Vijayaraghavan plays Edathala Mathaichan, a feudal lord and a loan shark. The plot revolves around 18 acres of agricultural land, owned by Mathaichan, and his plan to convert it into a commercial plot to construct a township. The villagers and the RDO Anjali (Shraddha Srinath) are opposed to the plan. The local administration wants to lease the land for cultivation. Acting on the advice of Sathyaseelan (Sai Kumar), Mathaichan ropes in Neyyattinkara Gopan (Mohanlal), to pull off his plans in Muthalakkotta.
As expected, the buildup to Mohanlal’s entry is massive with Sathyaseelan describing him as a ‘terror’. Gopan makes his first appearance, in a black Mercedes car. The shots are set to play to a gallery full of Mohanlal fans—slow shots, music, and mass scenes in a mundu. In the first half, Gopan mouths many dialogues in a slang that is portrayed as the Thiruvananthapuram style in movies, but it doesn’t come easy to Mohanlal. The film takes a turn in the second half and throws in some surprise elements, plot twists and more actors.
Aaraattu heavily borrows from Mohanlal’s mass entertainers as well as classics from the late 90s and 2000s, be it Aaram Thampuran, Narasimham, Balettan, Chandralekha and even Chithram (1988). There are also references from the highly stylised recent blockbuster Lucifer. Add to this a heritage home, lavish dance sequences jampacked with Kerala elements and MG Sreekumar songs. It feels like Unnikrishnan may have tried to pull a Petta for Mohanlal. From settings to the dialogues, the film blends in many moments of nostalgia for a true Mohanlal fan, but the script falls flat. The humour also does not come through, and it feels like an overdose of borrowed elements with nothing original to contribute. Eyeing audiences across south India perhaps, Mohanlal’s Gopan is also made to deliver recurring punchlines in Kannada and Telugu.
There are many women characters in the film, but few have anything substantial to deliver. We cannot even recall the names of most of them. Reminiscent of the early mass entertainers, the script is peppered with innuendo and cringeworthy dialogues. Surprisingly though, in a deviation from the usual mass thriller format, the hero does not have a romantic interest in the film. Director Unnikrishnan and Udaykrishna, who has written the film, seem to have played it safe on that front.
Mohanlal aces the role and the action sequences. For Mohanlal fans, who have missed him in true-blue mass action roles and were disappointed by the actor’s performance in the much-hyped Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham, Aaraattu is a feast. Rapper Fejo’s theme song perfectly sets the mood for action scenes.
Johny Anthony who plays Mathaichan’s legal advisor has also done his part well, managing to crack up the audience on a few occasions. And watch out for AR Rahman’s cameo performance!
Aaraattu is a Mohanlal show for fans who love the man in his mass avatar and don't mind the lack of depth. If you are one of those, this is an entertainer for you. If you are a Mohanlal fan who loves the man for his subtle performances, stay away from this one.
Film: Aaraattu
Director: B. Unnikrishnan
Cast: Mohanlal, Sai Kumar, Siddique, Vijayaraghavan, Nandu, Shradha Srinath, Rachana Narayankutty, Nedumudi Venu
Rating: 2.5/5