Here is the long awaited movie of Mamooty fans. After the monsoon, independence day and Gandhi Jayanthi, it has finally hit the screen. Was the wait worthy? Was all the money spent(nobodyknows the actual amount, it is disputed between 8 crores to 32 crores) on it can help it become a hit? Is it anything like Vadakan Veeragatha? Let me try to answer these.
Well all the money, what ever is the amount, spent on this movie was really worthy. Thecinematography, thesound effects and the picturization is really splendid and has to be enjoyed ina multiplex theatre. Ironically Kerala doesn’t have any, hence the disappointment of Grammy Winner Rasoolpookuty and his comments in news paper. We have to agree with what he had said to the media.The sound effects, especially the battle scenes, with sounds of horses, clamouring swords, yelling and mourning soldiers, reallymakes us feel we are in the battlefield and it cannot be felt in an ordinary theatrewhich is not even having DTS facility.
Most of us were expecting this movie to be something like a sequel of the great movie Vadakan Veeragatha. Well, apart from the plot of ancient Kerala, this movie is nothing like it’s predecessor. Pazhassi has no long harangue dialogues like that of Chandu, infact mamooty hardly can been seen for more than one hour of this three and half hour long movie. Sorry fans, this isn’t what you were expecting.
All the great talks and heroic fights are done by the supporting actors. Don’t know why Mamooty ever accepted this movie, this movie definitely is not going to fetch him any awards. On the other hand all the supporting actors viz, Manoj K Jayan, Sharth Kumar, Padma Priya, has given apowerful performances which adds to the strength of this film. A surprise element is thecameos played by the veteran actors Thilakan, Nedumudi Veenu etc. The story has been narrated and captured beautifully, especially the jungle scenes. Worth watching on a big screen. With lots of battles and soldiers, I would categorize it as a total commercial action movie. If you don’t compare it with Vadakan Veeragatha, this movie is a pretty good entertainment. But it cannot be taken for educational purpose, likethe makers of the film claimed.
Like every other movies made on historical persons this movie also has deviated a lot from the actual history, to make it commercial. That is acceptable, but why the heroism of the real pazhi raja has been minced and the credits of his deeds been given to his companians? In the second half of the movie all the revolt activities and battles are done by the king’s assistants and the king is made to sit comfortably in his hideout, as a result Mamooty is hardly seen for more than 20 minutes in thesecond half. Giving the credits of his deeds to the companions(whom we neverheard of their existance) is an insult to the real Pazhi Raja, the man who was known asLION OF KERALA. His death has been completely distorted, though the Raja’s body was cremated with"customary honours” he was not killed by the British in the battle, but M.T Vasudevan has plagiarised the climax from the movies ‘300’ and ‘The Patriot’.