Pazhassi Raja is a relief for Malayalam audience who has been made to sit through some mindless craps by the industry. However did it live up to the hype remains a question.
Whatever the answer to this question be, from the public, a standing ovation and shivering salute to Gokulam Gopalan, Hariharan,Mammooty and the rest of the crew for the effort.
An analogy can be drawn with the comments we see in the reality shows these days. "Didnt quite reach there"; "Landing note went flat" Pazhassi Raja promises so much, but fails to deliver to the expectations. However take that baggage away from the movie it is a fine product.
The bouquets: The freedom that the budget gives Hariharan is the biggest positive. The sets, the extras, the costumes, the camera, the sound, the stunts are all enriched in the vastness of the budget.
The story is set in an atmosphere which we are new to, and that adds to the excitement.
The performances could come in next, with Sarath Kumar getting most of the scenes which will bring him claps, closely followed by Manoj K Jayan. However if one asks me whether they were superlative performances in terms of quality, I will have to reply in the negative.
Mammootty is again weighed down by the baggage of expectation from 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha' and comparisons are inevitable. The MT magic has not worked in his favor this time around, and the characterization is devoid of any scope for outstanding performance.
But it is to his credit that, it is his face that a Keralite would relate to with Pazhassi Raja's name.
The technical dept lead by Resul Pookkutty, the cinematographers and the stunt choreographer would take the next slot.
The Brickbats: Numero Uno, Hariharan: You had no business to keep it dragging on and on for 210 minutes, that took away the focus of the audience every time an inconsequential scene come on.
Had you been more vigilant at the editor's table and chopped off a good 30minutes of the movie, it would have been a lot different.
Second in Command MT: The magic your pen weaved in your prime was totally missing. Not sure if anybody in the respected critic league would be brave enough to declare that the King is naked.
The USP of your scripts was the multi-faceted characters you create and the power packed and though provoking dialogs. Saw just glimpses of it, hence a disappointing effort from you.
I am still wondering how Pazhassi Raja mouths English dialogs with such ease, and the English lady character would make one think of Lagaan every now and then.
Sad that even you fell to the temptation of the super star image by the climax.
Summary: Pazhassi Raja as a stand alone movie is good and pretty good, but when it comes from the crew of OVVG it isn't.
Trade Verdict: The duration is going to be a big setbacks to its commercial prospects I feel..
Whatever the answer to this question be, from the public, a standing ovation and shivering salute to Gokulam Gopalan, Hariharan,Mammooty and the rest of the crew for the effort.
An analogy can be drawn with the comments we see in the reality shows these days. "Didnt quite reach there"; "Landing note went flat" Pazhassi Raja promises so much, but fails to deliver to the expectations. However take that baggage away from the movie it is a fine product.
The bouquets: The freedom that the budget gives Hariharan is the biggest positive. The sets, the extras, the costumes, the camera, the sound, the stunts are all enriched in the vastness of the budget.
The story is set in an atmosphere which we are new to, and that adds to the excitement.
The performances could come in next, with Sarath Kumar getting most of the scenes which will bring him claps, closely followed by Manoj K Jayan. However if one asks me whether they were superlative performances in terms of quality, I will have to reply in the negative.
Mammootty is again weighed down by the baggage of expectation from 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha' and comparisons are inevitable. The MT magic has not worked in his favor this time around, and the characterization is devoid of any scope for outstanding performance.
But it is to his credit that, it is his face that a Keralite would relate to with Pazhassi Raja's name.
The technical dept lead by Resul Pookkutty, the cinematographers and the stunt choreographer would take the next slot.
The Brickbats: Numero Uno, Hariharan: You had no business to keep it dragging on and on for 210 minutes, that took away the focus of the audience every time an inconsequential scene come on.
Had you been more vigilant at the editor's table and chopped off a good 30minutes of the movie, it would have been a lot different.
Second in Command MT: The magic your pen weaved in your prime was totally missing. Not sure if anybody in the respected critic league would be brave enough to declare that the King is naked.
The USP of your scripts was the multi-faceted characters you create and the power packed and though provoking dialogs. Saw just glimpses of it, hence a disappointing effort from you.
I am still wondering how Pazhassi Raja mouths English dialogs with such ease, and the English lady character would make one think of Lagaan every now and then.
Sad that even you fell to the temptation of the super star image by the climax.
Summary: Pazhassi Raja as a stand alone movie is good and pretty good, but when it comes from the crew of OVVG it isn't.
Trade Verdict: The duration is going to be a big setbacks to its commercial prospects I feel..
