Set in the 70s in a quaint and remote village, the story kicks off with Vasudev, the village postman getting abducted by masked men to an unknown location. He is interrogated about his past using a machine that has hypnotizing powers. Apparently, Vasudev has been secretly reading letters addressed to others which has unexpected consequences.
Who are these masked men who seem to have no connection to the village ..? What is their interest in Vasudev..?
Debutant director duo - brothers Sujith and Sandeep - have crafted a unique thriller that builds gradually on its simple setting to culminate in an ending that is unexpected and exceptional.
Not saying much else, lest I might tread into spoiler territory.
As a sequel to a blockbuster, this is definitely grander - perhaps, twice as larger in scale - spanning several locations across multiple continents much like a Bond or Bourne movie, even as it builds on the basic narrative arc set in the politics of God's own country.
One can decipher multiple influences from home and abroad, as in the action set pieces - inspired from the universe of Prashant Neel or Telugu / Tamil flicks with generous dose of blood as well as Hollywood-esque heavy duty armaments with mighty explosions. All these elements are assembled to serve a reasonably coherent narrative arc with occasional goosebumps moments for the fans.
Mohanlal shines through as the titular dark angel as he looms over the entire film casting an oversized shadow on every frame. The rest of the ensemble cast including Manju Warrier, Tovino and others put in their best despite their limited character arcs.
Prithviraj continues to make his mark as a director as he handles the scale hitherto unseen in Malayalam movies. He delivers a pretty good masala flick which does not bore you despite its three hour long runtime.
Alas, bigger is not synonymous to better and the grander scale does not deliver the emotional beats of the first installment. Nevertheless, this is a commendable sequel that sets the tone for a fitting finale to cap the trilogy.
A SPECTACLE MOVIE (best enjoyed on a BIG screen) !
Three estranged brothers reunite with their families after decades in their ancestral home as their mother is drawing her final breaths. Beneath the courteous efforts to forge forgotten connections, unforgotten and unforgiven tensions from the past simmer. Could the siblings succeed in overcoming their differences..? How does the gen-next of the family, in their impressionable years and meeting for the first time connect..?
This is a movie that manages to achieve a difficult balancing act of being subtle and sensitive to the subjects being depicted without being judgmental on any of the characters who are all flawed at some level, as humans tend to be.
Director Sharan Venugopal displays remarkable restraint throughout as he skillfully steers his narrative away from the usual desi pitfalls of getting lewd (exploitative or exposing to titillate) or loud (melodramatic or emotionally manipulative). This is no small achievement in itself and to achieve all this within a crisp running time of less than two hours is a mark of his brilliance.
While the two young leads playing next generation of the family (especially, Garggi Ananthan, playing Athira) are perfectly cast for their respective roles, the seniors - Joju, Suraj & Lopez - are excellent too, carrying all their shades without hitting a wrong note.
The music by Rahul Raj - songs as well as the score - is another highlight.
Overall, it is yet another lovely addition to the ever-growing pantheon of Malayalam cinema that continues to excel in exploring the oft-overlooked dimensions of our collective human coexistence.
A sort of return to form for Director Shankar who stumbled badly and delivered a disaster in Indian sequel which was his previous outing. The story from director Karthik Subbaraj pits an upright and dynamic bureaucrat against a power hungry politician buttressed by a corrupt system.
The writing and execution follows Shankar's familiar template with some contemporary updates. Yet, it largely works and delivers the wares for a commercial potboiler, thanks largely to Ram Charan firing on all cylinders and powering it through a double role. He gets able support from an ensemble cast including SJ Suryah as a menacing antagonist, a goofy Jayaram, Srikanth, Samuthirakani, Anjali, and Kiara Advani besides several others who appear in a blink-n-miss minor roles like Achyuth Kumar, Vennela Kishore, and Brahmanandam.
Shankar has continued to splurge on the making including songs mounted on grandiose scale with eye popping colours that saturate the large screen from edge to edge. Ditto for his mandatory emotional flashback stretch which is at best average and is utterly predictable despite dramatic gravitas of Ram Charan and Anjali trying their best. Nevertheless, the cat and mouse game between the leads has enough drama and punchy twists to sustain momentum and interest.
While Shankar has upped his game from his previous debacle, this is still a far cry from his yesteryear blockbusters which find several echoes through the movie. If you keep your expectations limited, this is a fairly engaging game.
