After having watched "Prathi Poovankozhi", my eyes fell on the next Malayalam Christmas release which happened to be Lal Jr's "Driving License" that had Prithvi & Suraj in the lead. Though it's almost two decades since I have got my license, I have to admit that I had used it more as an ID rather than it's power that allows me to drive a vehicle. This doesn't imply that I dont enjoy driving (except in most of the guttered roads in our state), after all the relaxation that one gets from a long drive is second to none. The trailer had me interested as it spoke about the relationship between a star & his fan, which is not unknown territory as far as celluloid creations are concerned. But does Lal Jr's movie have the content to keep us engaged???
Hareendran (Prithviraj) is the darling of the masses & one of the biggest names in the Malayalam film industry. The shooting of his latest movie on the land that belonged to the security forces required him to submit his driving license for verification. This is when it dawned on him that it has been misplaced & the only viable option is to obtain a duplicate at the earliest. He sought the help of his politician friend, Johny Peringodan (Saiju Kurup) who in turn approaches the RTO Inspector Kuruvila (Suraj Venjaramood) who incidentally happened to be Hari's die hard fan. Though he was an officer who didn't bend rules, he decides to make a concession for his idol in exchange for an opportunity to meet the latter personally in his office. However, things goes awry as media gets sniff of Hari's visit to the RTO which eventually leads to bad blood being brewed between the star & his fan.
Lal Jr's ticket to fame until now was the "Honey Bee" series (excluding 2.5) & from the looks of it he would be able to add "Driving License" also to that list. One of the significant reason for that is Sachy's script that has pretty much all the elements that we would expect from an entertainer in adequate proportions. It would appeal to all age groups which is a plus especially during the holiday season. The basic premise as I mentioned earlier is the equation between the star & his fan, which is something that has been explored in Hollywood & Indian movies in the past as well such as "King of Comedy", "The Fan" or "Fan" (Hindi). All of these movies have the lead characters in definite white & dark shades, but this is where Lal Jr's creation stands out as both have shades of grey without hinging too much towards inflicting bodily harm on the other. Sushin Shyam's music, Alex Pulickal & Ranadive's visuals along with Ratheesh Raj's editing was fine
Both Prithvi & Suraj were equally impressive in their roles be it as the star who has a personal life of his own or the fan who is willing to cut corners for his idol but not at the cost of his self respect. Interestingly even the supporting cast were given ample screen space be it Nandu, Suresh Krishna , Miya (variant of Meena's role in "Katha Parayumbol") or Saiju Kurup, the last three brings the roof down with their antics.
Verdict: Surely a movie that will cater to everyone's tastes & has a decent tale to narrate that will engage the audience. In short, do watch it!!!
Rating: 3.25/5
Regards...Ben
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