Keerthichakra, in its opening days is doing brisk business in Kerala but is not faring well in Tamilnadu(Tamil version is called Aran). The reviewers are impressed at Mohanlal’s depiction of commando officer. The authenticity of the location and military background are being touted as the highlights , even though the movie lacks momentum and pace at some points.
Sify.com review
Keerthichakra moves at rapid pace (2 hours 9 min) and the bickering and bonding between men of honour from various states in India is well documented with some finely honed out performance from Mohanlal, Jeeva and Shammi Thilakan. The movie strikes a chord as it is straight from the heart as it is made by a writer who has seen the ugly face of terrorism in Kashmir.
Major Mahadevan (Mohanlal) is an honest, dedicated and fearless officer who heads an elite force in Kashmir against terrorist. Militants led by Afghani Nawab along with his group of mercenaries have come to Kashmir valley with a mission to blow up the holy Hazarathbal Mosque and create communal tension in the country. How Major Mahadevan and his buddies thwart Nawab’s plan forms the rest of the story. [Keerthichakra review]
Paresh K Palicha of rediff.com:
Major Ravi is successful in keeping the feel of the film authentic most of the time. But there are certain times when the narrative lapses into the stereotypical terrain. Of course, they can be overlooked given the overall impact it creates.
However, the film lacks in pace. It loses the momentum in places. Going by the title, one expects the movie to be an action romp, but it seems that Major Ravi had other ideas. He has created a mix of typical Malayalam dialogue drama with larger-than-life heroes and action. And the songs composed by Joshua Sridhar act as speed-breakers in the story. [Keerthichakra: commendable]
India Glitz reviews:
The film tells an interesting bondage shared between the Chief of a commando force and a Havildaar, who braves the bombs and bullets of the heartless, recidivist jihadis in Kashmir valley. The film which dwells with the happenings in Kashmir has been powerful enough to essay the messages every army personal finds necessary to tell the people of the country. The director has very well focused to mix up his values of film making and the messages he is trying to put forth in a well compassionate manner, with out giving way to glorified nationalism. [Keerthi Chakra - Malluwood is back]
Related posts:
[...] Mohanlal and Tamil actor Jeeva are now shooting each other, not with AK-47s, but with words. Keerthichakra and it’s Tamil version Aran were released simultaneously and these movies are heading towards different fates. While Keerthichakra is doing good business in Kerala, Aran has flopped. [...]
Watched it today. It is an OK Movie. Jeeva has given as much importance as lal and his performance is no great. The military action scenes are good… Lal has not much to perform but he has done justice as expected. i think mamootty might have appeared better in this role.
[...] Who is to blame? I will blame it mostly on the directors who make such crappy movies even though most of them blame the superstars for it. I can guess the superstars are ruling the lot in the Malayalam cinema and they might even be interfering upto a level in the script and all, but can you blame it ALL on them? Mammootty still proves his acting talents with his latest Karuttha Pakshikal, or Mohan Lal excels in one of the best roles he had like Major Mahadevan in Keerthichakra. Even the young guns like Prithviraj cannot say they cannot grow because of the superstars, because these two M’s are the gems of Malayalam cinema (I know they do more bad movies than worthy movies though) and if they are surviving, that’s because of the talents they have. [...]
I like the review in varnachithra very much. I often place links to your reviews when I write reviews in for the website http://kerala4u.in.
regards
Kannan