We have seen him as the tricky thief in Meesha Madhavan, the hunchbacked Kunjikunan, the amitious CID Moosa, and now, he is back! Dileep is back as Radha Krishna in Chanthupottu! This movie is an onam gift to all viewers, a treat to the fans of Dileep, and an entertainer among malu movies.
This movie grabs our attention in the beginning when a mother is expecting a child. The family has not seen a baby girl in generations and the grandmother expects and predicts a baby girl this time. A healthy baby is the most important belief however she gets disappointed when hearing the news of a baby boy. She refuses to even look at the child until an incident occurs when she takes the baby boy in her arms and spoil him with her love. Her predictions may have been wrong however she managed to bring up this child as a girl who dances and plays among other girls. His father is a little reluctant in allowing this as we see scenes in which he tries to give him jobs a ’man’ should be doing. Anyways, a very particular event which I won’t specify because I don’t want to ruin the movie occurs and his father is send to jail. Radha Krishna grows up with the mentality of a girl with the absence of his father. He and his friend Malu grow up with each other dancing, playing, wearing makeup. One day, the man who loves Malu expresses his feelings to Radha Krishna who does not like this. The reason behind this is because people accused him for being a sin to all. He was referred to as a HE/SHE who caused devastation to the fishermen. He had to prove himself as a man in order for everything to be set right. From here is the quest. His journey begins and many questions are answered.
I must say Dileep proves to be a comedian as well as an actor. I think this has to be one of his best proved projects because he displayed Radha Krishna so well. Being a talented comedian he made his appearance as Radha as believable as possible to his audience. This character he plays is an addition to his list of unforgettable roles he has ever dared to play.
Other actors/actresses include Lal, Bhavana, Biju Menon, and Gopika. Lal played the embarrassed yet determined father. Bhavana played the controlling and the one who adds a spin to Radha. Biju Menon plays the brother he never had. And finally Gopika played the destined friend of Radha.
I think this movie was more than just an entertainer. It was a treat to Dileep fans as well as a change in Malayalam movies. Some parts of the movie remained to be the similar mentality of past malayalam movies however there was a huge twist, an attempt for originality. It was a revolutionary role for any actor. So if you are in the mood for a new type of comedy, give Dileep and his performance a chance.