The theme of the movie Patriot from Mahesh Narayanan is not something we have not seen. Various movies internationally and regionally has addressed this issue of data privacy. And maybe because of that, Patriots’ trailer didn’t really hold back in revealing its plot. The issue we usually feel in big-budget Indian movies was the way they used to spoon-feed information to the audience, and everything would look very fancy on screen. What Mahesh Narayanan has done differently here is the grounded presentation of an issue of huge magnitude. If they could have executed the action blocks in the second half in a more pulsating manner, I think the movie would have ticked all the boxes.
Dr. Daniel James of DRW is our central character. Based on some legitimate information he managed to gather, he went against the current central minister JP Sundaram and his son Shakti Sundaram’s company over alleged misuse of a spying software. The system goes after hunting Daniel, and what we see in this movie is Daniel’s efforts to stay away from the eyes of the Indian government while trying to expose the minister and his son.
Purely from a cinematic analysis point of view, one of the first realizations after this movie was that there is a reason why someone like Tom Cruise always tries to do something visually spectacular in his movies. Such grand set pieces keep the audience invested when the story development is considerably minimal. The Mission Impossible movies are mostly about retrieving something or saving someone in order to save the world or a part of it. Patriot also follows a similar mold to build a story. The first half of this movie, which purely focuses on the story, pulls you into its world effortlessly. Mahesh Narayanan creates cinematic moments in the most normal things. There are no explanations given to us in an evident way, and we are pretty much decoding the whole thing by overhearing these conversations.
The second half of the movie is where things go in a cinematic way, and that is largely because it is the area where we see both legends together in frame. While we are glued to the screen in the first half largely due to the suspense-heavy tactics of various characters, the second half has less suspense, and it focuses more on getting things done. And that leads to multiple sequences of action. While the action block that introduced Mohanlal’s character was executed with some charm, the much-anticipated chase sequence in a Tata Safari and a hospital fight sequence after that couldn’t really utilize the star power it had. Mahesh Narayanan gains control of the script back in that phone call sequence featuring Shakti, Daniel, and Shakti’s father by giving the audience Shakti’s POV on the whole thing.
When you see the initial moments in the movie that introduce us to Daniel in the most grounded way possible, you are reminded of the Mahesh Narayanan who made movies like Take Off that used the scale to keep things authentic. Whenever the movie holds our attention, it is due to the writing that builds drama. And the areas that sort of become bumpy are the ones where the action takes center stage over the story. One of the things most Indian movies get wrong is the way they show a lot of these things in a very flashy manner, assuming the audience has no idea about all these things. In Patriot, everything that we see on screen gets a very realistic presentation.
The educational part of the script that talks about how the government tracks us despite claiming privacy is protected is actually happening in a very subtle way. The visuals by Manush Nandan are not trying to be eye candy, and despite things being shot on extravagant locations, the visual language is more focused on the characters and their emotions. The detailing in the script is pretty impressive. Sushin Shyam’s background score is really top-notch in many areas, which feels like a buildup. The sound design of the movie also elevates the overall rawness. As I already mentioned, the only area I would have wanted the movie to improve was in the way it conceived action. The curiosity it generated through banter between the big Ms in that floating single shot inside the car demanded a better car chase sequence.
Mammootty as Daniel performs the role of the veteran with great ease. It is a role that demands the actor to carry the persona of a high-ranking official in a particular way, and that flexibility was there in the way Mammootty performed the part. Aattam fame Zarin Shihab gets a pretty extensive role along with Mammootty as his companion. The clarity and confusion of that character was performed effectively by Zarin. Kunchako Boban plays the role of Michael, who seeks redemption, and the performance was fine. Fahadh Faasil, as the main antagonist, is in his typical agitated zone for a larger part of the movie. However, there is a phone conversation that happens in the final bits of the film, and Fahadh’s performance made that seemingly over-dramatic sequence extremely believable. Rajiv Menon, as JP Sundaram, had the elegance of a minister, and his dialogue rendering was really natural. Darshana Rajendran, Revathi, and Nayanthara chip in with characters that have importance but minimal screen time. Mohanlal plays the role of Col. Rahim Naik, the close friend of Daniel, and it is a pretty much an extended cameo role that enhances the movie for the better. It is not a forcefully included character, and there is a proper arc given to Rahim Naik, and towards the end, we do get to know more about their friendship. The meta quality of the lines about the characters’ friendship adds a fan service dimension to the film. The calm grace of Mohanlal makes that character a memorable one.
When you watch a movie like Take Off, the kind of production quality that movie had, along with an excellent screenplay, really makes you believe that the so-called international quality is something that is achievable in our industry. Patriot, in many ways, is an extension of Take Off in terms of combining drama and scale. The lack of spectacle elements may have reduced the overall euphoric aspect of Patriot. But somewhere in how this movie stages sequences, one can see the industry trying to push storytelling without underestimating the audience. Patriot is an earnest film that is not asking for brownie points for the attempt or intention.
