Whenever a movie begins with the disclaimer "Any resemblance to any person or event is purely coincidental", more often than not we can rest assured that it would have been heavily inspired from reality. So when the same words beamed in the title credits of the much awaited Mahesh Narayanan's "Malik" which released on Amazon Prime on Wednesday, it naturally further spiked the curiosity of most of us. Ever since the trailer was released a few months back which looked impressive there was significant hype about this big budget movie that had an enviable cast & crew. So will it be able to satiate the expectations???
Ali Ikka/Suliaman (Fahadh Faasil), the most revered and feared personality in Ramadapally was taken into custody from the airport under TADA charges when he was about to embark on a Haj. As expected, this creates an unrest in the region as some saw it as an opportunity to establish their unholy influence behind the cloak of fake concern. However, the men in power & the authorities knew that putting him behind bars was not a viable solution & hence, the only option would be to eliminate him within the prison premises. But was such a plan even worth contemplating as the backlash could be severe after all he was a messiah who stood up for the people against political apathy & vested interests???
A couple of months back, when the public was forced to follow the lockdown protocol; Mahesh Narayanan treated us to "C U Soon" which had most of the people sing praises in his ability to craft an engaging movie within the confines of an apartment. So when "Malik" that he had scripted as well was staged on a grand scale, the expectations were nigh high. With regard to the actual storyline, it is an interesting concoction of fact & fiction that is packaged as an atypical mass movie unlike the realism that we have started to get used to in recent times. It is essentially the recreation of the 2009 Bheemapally shootout & despite the influence of "The Godfather", "Nayagan" & "Vaada Chennai"; it manages to stand on its own. The primary reason for that are the performances & the manner in which it has been picturized. The script ought to have to been much more taut as there are quite a few sequences that lacked clarity & the art/make up department wasnt quite upto the mark. On the technical side, it was pretty top notch be it Sanu Varghese's impressive frames (hats off to the 12 minute single shot sequence) & Sushin Shyam's enticing music.
Well there is no point in even discussing about Fahadh since more often than not, he will ace his part just like how has done here where he appeared in different stages of the character's life & accordingly, brought in credible changes to his body language. The same also applies to Nimisha Sajayan (who has made a habit of being present in all praise worthy flicks), Dileesh Pothan, Jalaja, Joju George, Vinay Fort etc. However, I would like to specifically mention two artists & they are Sanal Aman (as Freddy) & Indrans both of whom have done utmost justice to their roles.
Verdict: With a run time of about 161 minutes, it might test the patience of quite a few; however from a personal point of view, I barely felt that. It's the type of movie that ought to have released in theatres, but with the COVID restrictions still prevalent; it was understandable that the makers had to go for an OTT release. Is it a perfect movie? Certainly not as the script does have it's shortcoming but Mahesh & his team still managed to create an engaging crime saga. So do check it out!!!
Rating: 3.5/5
Regards...Ben
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