May 24, 2007 09:24 PM
7650 Views
(Updated May 27, 2007 06:58 PM)
Movie **Athisayan
The Plot(movies.sify.com)
Maya(KAVYA MADHAVAN) is an investigative journalist working for New India television. She is also a social crusader and a runs an orphanage for destitute children at her home. Her boss Radha Ramanan(MUKESH) has an eye on her, but she is fiercely independent. Her neighbour is a renowned international scientist Sekharan(JACKIE SHROFF) who is working on the theory of invincibility. One of the mischievous boys in her orphanage Devan(MASTER DEVAN) drinks a green potion made by Sekharan, and he becomes invisible!
Meanwhile Maya is kidnapped by some bad guys led by the unscrupulous businessmen Nassar(DEVAN), and two corrupt ministers- Divakaran(RAJAN P DEV) and Younus Kunju(RAMU). Maya with the support of the district collector Anita Williams(KARTHIKA) had carried out a sting operation using spy cams, revealing their nefarious activities. The same guys had earlier framed-up her boy friend and cameraman Roy(JAYASURYA) in a trumped up murder charge and is now in the jail.
The baddies want Maya to give back the CD of what she had shot using spy cams before it is telecast. The invisible Devan comes to her rescue, but in an accident he loses his power and turns into a giant and wrecks havoc on the baddies!
My Review
Once upon a time, there was a Mallu director who delivered a spate of continuous commercially superhit movies(whether the viewers enjoyed them can be left for another debate) like Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum, Independence, Akasha Ganga, Daivathinte Makan, Dada Sahib, Rakshasa Rajav, Oomappenninu Uriyadapayyan and Karumadikuttan. So much so that the media began hailing him as a'Genius filmmaker'. His name is Vinayan. So where is he today?
Well, he still makes movies bravely but the difference is that neither box office collection nor the viewers seem to have affection for them! And the trend continues with Athisayan.
Why do I still admire this director? Because he still soldiers on. Makes movies courageously irrespective of constant criticism from the same media or the audience. He continues to make bold moves very well aware that he will have only his own shoulder to lean on if such initiatives bomb. His recent box office dud'Athbutha Dweepu' set a world record for showcasing the maximum number of dwarfs in a single movie.
And now he came up with a special-effects loaded flick'Athisayan', a rarity in Malayalam cinema'cause we tend to make movies with strong storyline and negligible technological help. It looks inspired by Shekhar Kapur's'Mr. India' and Ang Lee's'Hulk'. Making such a cross-breed product isn't exactly a bad idea if not for the Vinayanism stamp. Meaning gross violence or irregularities in the plot!
Was Vinayan making this movie for kids? I can never call it an adults movie because the treatment is so kids-centric. Does that mean it was a successful kids movie? Sadly, its a "No" in my opinion. There are one too many violent scenes which aren't appropriate for children. We also have the villains spewing dialogues with double entendre on the heroine Kavya Madhavan. Statements like "I want to explore every part of her body to get back the memory chip(Kavya has a chip that reveals the scams of the ministers)" followed by a mischevious raise of an eyebrow.
Maybe this is all ok in the eye of a child who loves to see someone of his age become a superhero on screen. So Vinayan, thanks to such innocent beings, your movie should hopefully float at the box office. But if you ask the adults for their feedback.take mine. I couldn't stand the sight of a bizarre looking "Kid hulk" prancing around the city for even 30mins. And there's a inconsistency in plot. Jayasurya's role(which is quite important taking the story in context) goes for a full toss after the interval thereby causing disappointment among the viewers. I wont reveal in detail here because that will be a spoiler.
I think I'll stop my rantings here or even the kids will begin to bawl!
The special effects is good considering the limited budget of the producers.
And our director still has the immense respect of his actors. How else could we have the chance of watching stars like Mukesh, Jayasurya, Kavya Madhavan, Karthika, Jackie Shroff, Rajan P Dev, Devan and Bheeman Raghu in one flick? The actors did their roles whole-heartedly and the child actors were nice too.
Music by Alphonse is fair.
Director - Vinayan
Year - 2007
Starring - Kavya Madhavan, Master Devan, Mukesh, Jayasurya, Karthika, Jackie Shroff
Verdict~ Sorry, not recommended for kids due to scenes of heavy violence and some'fleshy
dialogues'.
Not recommended for adults too, unless you're a misty-eyed Kavya Madhavan conditioner.sorry, fan! or still hope that the old Vinayan has struck back with his magic wand.
