Mr Fraud review: "Far from being a hi tech heist!!!"

It's been quite a while since Lalettan had a release & so naturally there was a great deal of expectations surrounding his latest venture "Mr.Fraud" after all it was his first outing since the all time blockbuster "Drishyam". Well "Mr. Fraud" has been in the news for all the wrong reasons as the Exhibitors Association had threatened a ban on the film following a tiff with the director, B. Unnikrishnan. Finally everything has been resolved & it's now upto the audience to deliver their verdict. The promos seemed interesting but will it be able to match upto "How Old Are You"???

PLOT:

Bhaiji (Lalettan) is one of the most sought after conman who after numerous successful heists is planning to call it quits after gearing up for the biggest of them all. The opportunity comes knocking in the form of a treasure trove belonging to Adityapuram Palace, whose heirs were at loggerheads regarding the division of wealth. Bhaiji gains entry into the Palace impersonating as the legally appointed wealth evaluator & sets his plan into motion. But executing it right under the eyes of a professionally equipped security team would test his abilities to the core. So will he emerge triumphant one more time or will he falter at the final step???

DIRECTION & SCRIPT:

After trying times, B. Unnikrishnan finally managed to get his film released, but does he deliver what he promises??? Well, for a start it is a pucca masala film & he has tried to cash in on the larger than persona of Lalettan with sly dialogues and characteristic subtle mannerisms which will have the masses whistling to glory. As for the script, though the trailer projected it to be a hi tech heist, the actual plot seemed far from it. After a pretty decent first half, the latter half loses steam with each passing minute eventually culminating in a mediocre climax.

PERFORMANCE & TECHNICAL ASPECTS:

Lalettan is the heart & soul of the film as he plays the role of the conman with elan. As for the rest of the cast, many of them were for the numbers while some of them like Siddique, Saikumar, Vijay Babu & Mia did manage to make their presence felt. As for the technical aspects, it was one of those rare films where Gopi Sundar disappointed & moreover it ebbed the flow of the film. Satheesh Kurup has done a decent job with the visuals while Manoj should have done a better editing in the latter half.

Verdict:  There is no doubt that the promos & the first release of Lalettan since "Drishyam" will have people queuing up which will ensure a more or less impressive initial. However, the lack of a credible storyline coupled with a lack lustered heist along with Manju's powerful performance in "How Old Are You" will affect the collections once the first few days are over. In short, an average time pass!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben