Big B has been a much lauded film in the recent past for the different experience it has offered viewers. It is about 4 brothers who seek revenge for their adopted mother’s(Nafisa Ali) death.
All in all, Big B is an overdose of style with not much substance. Amal Neerad is very good at visuals. But visuals do not work in isolation without a story driving them. Thats the difference between mediocre films like The Forbidden Kingdom which had great visuals, but no explanation driving the setting, and the Lord of the Rings, a modern film classic.
In Big B we are told of a rift between Bilal(Mammotty) and his mother. In a particular scene, Nafeesa Ali closes the window on Mammotty, a scene that is supposed to symbolise this, on a rainy day(during the’Vidaparayukayano’ song). But the impact this had on me was minimal, as for me, it just showed that she was closing it to avoid the rain coming in! A more authoritative display would have been banging the door on his face. Such problems undermine the film.
While we get told about what a kind lady she is, we have hardly any background info on Nafeesa Ali’s character to emphatise with her or her sons. Her death itself is heavily inspired from the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents in Batman Begins, and the funeral sequences are extremely tedious. And even the’revenge’ is portrayed by the filmmakers in a very confusing manner as we do not know whether Big B is a love story, a family film or a hardcore action film. As a result particularly in the middle portions, the film loses its way with some unwanted comedy gimmicks from Innocent particularly irritating. It is further undermined by some unnecessary songs.
But the film has several merits. The way Bilal is introduced is excellently done with some background information by Vijay Raghavan(who acts really well here) and freeze frames in the rain. While most of the fight sequences may be more appropriate for a video game, the climax fight between Mammootty and the villain is brilliantly executed and picturised. The background score by Gopi Sundar is most entertaining and modern(for a Malayalam film), but it would have been better served as a’Music From and Inspired by Big B’ than a score. This is because the primary function of the background score should be to suit the nature of the film. Big B by its very nature is a dark film, yet from listening to the music you would think its another larger than life hardcore film. Bilal is not a larger than life character. This shows the inexperience of the composer.
Mammootty does a fantastic job, in a controlled and restrained performance as Bilal. The villain has been inspired from Gautham Menon’s recent cop flicks and his dialogue is so similar to Mammmootty’s. There is just no individuality attached to 2 of the 3 brothers and Manoj K Jayan is somewhat sidelined in a character he has portrayed umpteen times. Alphonse’s songs suit the mood of the film effectively, and in a refreshingly different way, Vidaparayukayano is a welcome change from the serial like songs that are all too common in Malayalam cinema after a major tragedy. Focusing on lost memories and with remarkable silence and peace, what with a musical interlude from the guitar right at the end, this is the direction that Malayalam cinema should take! Nafeesa Ali is heartwarming as the mother and her combination scenes with Mammootty are effective more so due to the talents of both actors rather than any directorial excellence. Pasupathy is excellent.
So Big B is a step in the right direction for an ailing film industry. There are some good ideas here that have been presented. It is now up to more talented directors to make something out of this.