A movie directed by an ex-soldier definitely raises great curiosity. If it is by the famous Major Ravi , it is going to be definitely something remarkable. It is very different from other patriotic movies made earlier in Malayalam. There is no jingoism, no unnecessary comedy, or group songs sung by the soldiers. It is very realistic. The three commando operation sequences in the movie are nail biting.
Keerti Chakra
Language : Malayalam
Script and Direction : Major Ravi
Cinematography : Thiru
Music: Joshua Sridhar
Producer : RB Chaudhary
Cast : Mohan Lal, Jeeva, Shammy Tilakan, Sai Kumar, Gopika, Sphatikam George, Lakshmi, Biju Menon, Kochin Haneefa etc.
Story
Major Mahadevan (Mohan Lal) leads an NSG commando group in Kashmir. His buddy in the group is Havaldar Jai Kumar (Jeeva).
An Afghan-born terrorist with a nick-name ’Nawab’ leads the terrorists and his plan is to blow up the sacred mosque and to make the Indian Army to be blamed for the same . It can evoke hatred in the Islamic community against India. How the commando group destroys the terrorists’ project forms the rest.The story also includes the buddy-buddy relationships in the commando group. The film discusses many issues like the overall uncertainty associated with a soldier’s life, the loneliness of a soldier, the dilemma between the longing for a family life and the love and commitment towards the nation, the hardships of a soldier in the battleground along with the pressure from the irresponsible superiors etc.
The treatment
The movie is shot in Kashmir. The beauty of the valley and the Daal lake is captured well by Thiru. The direction by Major Ravi is good in parts.
The scenes with Mohan Lal and Shammy Tilakan are shot really well. The sequence in which Mohan Lal removes Shammy Tilakan’s blood-fear is classic.
The dialogue between a senior officer (Sphatikam George) and Major Mahadevan(Mohan Lal ) is really outstanding . The hero expresses his agony on the ill treatment of the soldiers by their superiors. The film carries melodious music by Joshua Sridhar . The Hindi song “khuda se mannat hai meri” by Kailash Kher is quite a surprise!!!
I heard that the Tamil dubbed-version of the movie is mixed with some unwanted comedy scenes and item numbers. It is sad to kill such a good, fast paced movie (only two hours long) with these masala. Anyway the Slick Malayalam version is a super hit and the Tamil one is heard to be a flop.
On the down side....
Major Ravi lacks experience in writing screenplay, which is evident in the first, half. There are some unconnected scenes. Some scenes are cut short by the director without finishing the whole message in it.
Acting department
Mohan Lal again proves that he is the numero uno when it comes to subtle , emotional and strong characters. Jeeva is good. Shammy Tilakan is a revelation !
My advice
It will definitely stay on your mind for many days.... so don’t miss it !