Sunday, May 8, 2022

CBI 5: The Brain: "Depends on nostalgia as the makers fails to update themselves!!!"

The much awaited sequel of the CBI franchise hit the screens last weekend & being a fan of the series, I didn't have to think twice before checking it out. Well there has been a plethora of reviews online over the past week regarding whether K Madhu was able to create a worthy sequel. Obviously, it didn't blow our socks off but at the same time, it would be harsh to state that it was a complete washout. To be frank, I felt as if SN Swami was oblivious to the fact that the taste of the audience had changed with the times.

The movies focuses on one of the most difficult case that CBI & Sethurama Iyer (Mammookka) had faced about a decade back. It was referred to as the 'basket killings' which began with the murder of a minister followed by many others. With the police drawing a blank, Iyer & his team was brought in to solve the mystery as it became murkier with each passing day.

For reasons best know to SN Swami, he came up with a script that was way too outdated & fails to engage the audience for most parts. We are living in a time, where the audience is exposed to all types of visual content across the globe, with our industry itself being at the forefront of some of the most exciting projects. So it was imperative that Madhu & Swami had a credible tale to convey & execute rather than merely milk the nostalgic aspect. The first half does try to build the suspense but the latter segment turned out to be rather bland & fails to wow the audience. At the same time, the manner in which they brought in Jagathi at a pivotal part of the plot deserves applause. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention except for Jakes Bejoy's BGM which was fine (though more was expected of him).

Irrespective of the quality of the script, Mammookka continued to impress as the protagonist with his towering screen presence. It was a joy to the eyes to see Jagathi perform & he did an admirable job despite his health limitations. Saikumar did his part aptly while Soubin seemed like a miscast. As for the rest of the cast, Anoop Menon, Mukesh, Ranji Panikkar, Ramesh Pisharody were ok.

Verdict: Just like the term "Brain" is inexplicable in the title, the script also seemed to be devoid of it for most parts. I will still rate it above "Nerariyan CBI" & hope that if the makers plan to attempt a sixth installment to the series, then they definitely need to be in touch with the pulse of the audience rather than mess up a worthy series in the hope that nostalgia will help them through. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben


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