We’ll know soon if the hit drought for Mohanlal end with this release. The reviewers response is varied, some said Innathe Chintha vishayam is bad , some said it’s an average soap opera. This is definitely not an indication of a blockbuster in making. Notat all encouraging for last year’s best actor and best scriptwriter.
Entertainer: Its a “word of the mouth†movie and a clear family entertainer. Even while you see through it, the movie doesn’t bore you except for one song (where Mohanlal tries to play a ten year old).
Mohanlal: Our man should do a High school teacher now. In the first half you wonder where Lal is, and in the second half he teaches us loving, appreciating bio-diversity, mending broken relationships etc without leaving the frame. The same tired dialogue delivery from the actor who won the best actor award again last week. It is not that Lal is a bad actor, but it is time Lal defines where he belongs. In this movie, rest all are characters and Mohanlal tries to play God.
It’s indeed true when they say that it doesn’t rain, but it pours. Here is a director who has been toying around for the past few years with more than a few fraught strategies to recreate the yesteryear magic that has been waning with time. With Innathe Chinthavishayam, Sathyan Anthicaud has hit the bottom, and misses the mark by a mile at his attempts to convincingly convey the ‘deliberation’ across. It seems more plausible that a story or something that resembles it was forcibly woven around an iota of an idea, a passing remark or perhaps a fleeting comment.
It would forever remain mysterious as to why Mohanlal gives the nod to a script as the one in question. GK offers him little scope to be the actor we so much love; the mediator role is merely a flawed extension of the innumerable guy-next-door roles that he has donned to perfection. Supposedly the female lead, Meera Jasmine has nothing much to do expect mouth a few idealistic lines and look sober and silly at once. Kamla should be an amusing coffee break for the actress from the grave stuff that she has been grappling with, lately. The supporting cast does a competent job as well, despite being caught up in embarrassingly tricky and illogical sequences.
Mohanlal as G K don’t have anything exceptional and is repeating the Good Samaritan act for the umpteenth time, but still it is a pleasure watching him in a role that seldom goes larger than life. There may seem to be some exaggeration in the portrayal of the idealist Gopakumar, but Lal is effortless in presenting the character convincing, with least obvious loopholes. The director who is also credited with writing the script integrates many topical issues in the story, but this time he is consciously making them the centre of our attention in every now and then sequences. The idealistic lines goes up to the level of preaching in the later half, which partially destroys the charm of narratives.
And then there is Meera Jasmine as Kamala with a precious little to do. She says her lines, flutters those eyelashes and looks ravishing. Her repeat act of ‘Rasathanthram’ and ‘Vinodhayathra’ as a girl with a sad past are not inspiring as the original. In terms of chemistry, none of the couples from Mukesh, – Sukanya, Vijayaraghavan – Mohini and Ashokam – Muthmani share any vibes. But all have taken care to do a competent job to display them with no visible warmth.
At times, you do feel the film, almost two and a half hours long, is bit stretched and that it loses pace in the second half after a rollicking first part. In fact is one of those films, that aren’t as much about the happy finale, as it is about the insightful journey about relationships, which is at times, hilarious. And definitely the director falters in getting it around for a more logical climax, which seems forced and infantile with every weak male counterparts mercifully turning up to realize what they have been in their life -chauvinists, freaks and psychos.
Sathyan Anthikad, the biggest brand name in Malayalam cinema after the superstars, is certainly in no mood to take chances. If you are Malayalam cinema’s “ladies and family specialist” who has his own following among the audiences, you can’t afford to move away from your basic formula that has survived for nearly 30 years.
Once again in Innathe Chinthavishayam, Sathyan’s 2008 Vishukaineetam, he caters to his core audiences. There is nothing new story wise or in presentation and it’s the same old Kadumanga (tender mango pickle) in tetra pack, which has its own unique taste. And Mohanlal the greatest entertainer in Malayalam cinema does his “do-gooder” act, along with Meera. Does the Sathyan- Mohanlal combo succeed? “Yes” to a certain extent, as they have come out with another feel-good family entertainer with a topical message.
Picture courtesy:sify.com
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April 14, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Innathe Chinta Vishayam,as it’s title suggests deals with one of the present day problem of our society.
Sathyan Anthikkad,from whom Malayalis expect a family entertainer has done justice to his role. But the script is not as stiff and strong as Manassinakkare and Rasathanthram.
Even though the story line is quite predictable, it is not so boring as other reviews suggest. The protagonist has a godly behaviour and his partner(Meera) has little to do with the script.The music set by Ilayaraja is not upto the expectations as it was in Rasathanthram, but is good.
When totality is concerned the film is quite good to watch but not to the expectations that we all have of Sathyan Anthikkad.
August 16, 2009 at 10:52 pm
sathan anthikad is one name in malayalam cinema which keeps even his dtractors at bay due to his long successful and unfailingly prolific creative output.with all respects to the director,one or two things about his career has been an enigma for me.these are his highly successful collaboration with sreenivasan and johnson.i am one who believe rightly or wrongly that sathan anthikad’s films now lack the tautness of the scripts of sreenivasan and the spontaneity of johnson’s music.it is still more baffling he never mentions johnson by name in any of his tv interviews or articles on or by him.being an admirer of both sreenivasan and johnson,i cannot but be dismayed due to his silence.will any one answer? g .balachandra menon