Hmm...how do we write an opinion about a product that we are not experts at? Good question, but then if the customer paid the money for it, then we have the right to voice our concerns if it doesn't satisfy our expectations. Anyway taking cue from that, the eagerly awaited B Unnikrishnan's "Aaraattu" hit the screens y'day amid much fan fare & hype. The excitement was palpable after all the trailer promised it to be a mass masala entertainer which feasted on the 'Lalettan' brand. The legend was in his elements but seemed like Udayakrishna kind of forgot that one needs to be constantly updated in his profession rather than merely rest on the laurels of the past.
The location for this fanboy tribute is Muthalakotta where Edathala Mathiachan (Vijayaraghavan), an affluent landlord was trying to convert his substantial piece of agricultural land into a commercial plot. This plan was met with opposition from the RDO Anjali (Shraddha Srinath) & the villagers which included a group of young men known as the 'Muthalakotta Battalion' who spearheaded the development in the locality. Left with no option, Mathiachan sought the help of Neyyantinkara Gopan (Lalettan) known to be an expert in handling such tussles with ease.
It's been a while since we have witnessed Lalettan in a no holds barred bindaas mass masala & in that sense it's an absolute treat for the fans. At the same time, it should be done in a manner which is unique in its treatment & that's where Unnikrishnan was woeful. But I wont blame him as much as Udayakrishnan who penned the script (did he even scribble anything?), as it didnt have even an iota of creativity. It was just a mish mash of "Aaram Thampuran", "Narasimham", "Lucifer", "Chandralekha" & many others with sequences and iconic dialogues from those presented as spoofs. If such references comes once in a while, then it's worth a smile and a whistle but when it is bombarded at the audience in almost every sentence then it becomes irritating. A couple of twists are brought in the latter half that lacked the desired impact which includes the much spoken about A R Rahman cameo and the picturisation of a heist in the train which was laughable to say the least. At the same time, Vijay Ulanganth's visuals were fine & Rahul Raj's BGM and Rapper Fejo's theme song complimented the mood of the movie.
There might be a whole army of artists in the movie but it was an all out Lalettan show & he deserves kudos for his agility and hard core action sequences. As for the rest of the cast, Siddique does evoke laughs, Shraddha was ok though just like her character I wouldn't be surprised if she felt exasperated with the laziness in the script while the others including the late Nedumudi Venu, Kottayam Pradeep, Vijayaraghavan etc. were either to sing praises or get bashed by the protagonist.
Verdict: Unnikrishnan took an anticipatory bail by terming it as 'unrealistic' but that is no excuse for having such a sloppy script. If Prithvi made a commendable fanboy tribute with "Lucifer" then this would lie on the other end of the spectrum. The audience is sensible enough to understand as to what to expect from a mass entertainer though serving them with a threadbare storyline and expecting them to accept it like the Telugu audience without complaining is a 'chaala dangerousu' mentality. Anyway you can give it a try solely for Lalettan!!!
Rating: 2/5
Regards...Ben
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