Cat and Mouse Game. Review on Mankatha Movie

Mankatha is a story of two halves. In the first half of the movie, you get introduced to the star cast, you encounter some slap stick comedy, you find a story line that fails to grip, you encounter some lousy songs and some mediocre fare. At best the first half is just mediocre. In the second half the storyline picks up pace, you see a lot of action and some of the action scenes are well choreographed and well executed. The back ground score is slightly improved and the climax makes you understand what you saw in the previous 2.5 hours. The last 5 minutes is the synopsis of the saga that unfolds in the previous 2., 5 hours and like reading the back cover of a book to understand whether its worthwhile or not, you decide the merits of the movie with the climax.

Ajith passes muster though he does appear old. Some of his actions seem stylish. But he does not carry the cop's uniform with the poise that actors such as Surya, Kamal, Vikram showed in some of their movies. The movie opens in typical tollywood style with an action sequence and a song featuring the hero. Hero worship is complete. Now starts the next ingredient - introducing comedy and the heroine. In hindsight you actually wonder why a heroine is required in the first place for a story that is supposed to be racy. But you have a heroine who tries to coerce the hero to drop his bad habits.

The storyline is simple: 500 crore rupees is stashed in a location in Mumbai and this underworld comprising of betting leaders and smugglers etc are stashing the cash for the IPL finals. You have 4 guys plotting to steal the money. Ajith, a suspended cop, also comes to know of the steal and plays a part in stealing the cash.(The scene where they lift a massive container and then replace it with another one is comic to the core and is unbelievable). The owners of the cash are aware of this and a massive manhunt begins. So the cash is stacked secretly with the members deciding to share it once the heat is off. In the meantime two of the members run away with the cash. The rest of the story is on how Ajith and his two friends trace the cash and how they retrieve it. The story is straight out of a James hadley Chase novel with vengeance, double crossing, sinister sub-plots etc. Add to a typical Chase book, a few ingredients of Indian masala, a few songs and a couple of dance steps and you have a clear picture of Mankatha. Arjun plays the cop who is on a hunt to destroy illegal betting. Trisha plays the heroine and looks an outcast in the plot.

Music is by and large poor and the background score lets a lot to be desired. Very few scenes have a passable back ground score. Editing leaves a lot to be desired. Camera work is very good and the last few scenes are very well shot.

The story is hard to follow and the film is more on showcasing Ajith in various guises than delivering a strong action packed performance. The lead characters execute their roles well. Arjun as the cop looks good in some of the action scenes. The last few scenes are pretty good in terms of execution, performance and general effect.

The story meanders at points and can definitely be improved upon. It just passes muster. Worth watching, but only once.