After numerous postponements, Mammookka's "Fireman" has finally released this weekend just as the World Cup fever is slowly catching up. With the board exams also in the next few weeks, it was imperative that it was released as soon as possible if it harboured any hopes of making some collection at the box office. The film's USP is surely the Kerala Fire Force, which incidentally hasn't been made the central theme in our movies as far as I know. So was this movie a worthy tribute for for our fire brigade???
Life was as usual at the fire force but this was a special day for them as their senior officer, Lakshmanan Pillai (P Sreekumar) after having served 30 years had come in to take charge for one last time. Elsewhere in the city, a father (Salim Kumar) in visible distress was frantically searching for his missing daughter. The lukewarm reception that he received from the Police made him hysterical which eventually led him to an accident with a LPG tanker that overturns with dire consequences. The fire brigade is called in but their initial efforts to secure the tanker backfires & it claims the life of Pillai. As the Police Force also makes their presence felt, a clash of egos issues but better sense prevails as the commanding officer of the fire brigade, Vijay (Mammookka) is made in charge of the mission. So can Vijay save the day before it claimed more lives as the situation worsened by the second???
This venture was helmed by Deepu Karunakaran whose past track record hasn't been particularly impressive with movies like "Winter", "Crazy Gopalan" etc. However, the subject that he has chosen for this movie deserves praise & to a certain extent he has done justice to it as well. Though the basic plot seems fine, it's the manner in which it is being resolved that juts out clumsily. But credit to Deepu that inspite of amateurishness in many frames of the rescue mission; it still doesn't bore the audience completely. As for the technical aspects, the special effects showcased in the movie was downright pathetic & one cant help wonder as to why more attention wasn't paid to it. Saajan has done a credible job with the editing while Rahul Raj's BGM was fine.
Mammookka has done a decent job as the protagonist but it couldnt be deemed challenging apart from maybe lifting the weights. Both Nyla Usha & Siddique has done justice to their roles while Unni Mukundan could have been better. Salim Kumar who handles an important role looks quite emancipated & doesnt quite deliver the goods that we know he is capable of.
Verdict: Mammookka hasn't had a major release since "Varsham" & so there is bound to be a sense of expectation apart from the fact that the theme is pretty novel. Deepu has done a decent job in the direction but there are some serious lapses in the script which will hamper its chances at the box office. It's surely not a tribute of the highest quality that the fire brigade richly deserves for their selfless service, but it's still worth a watch for its noble intentions!!!
Rating: 2.25/5
Regards...Ben
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