Lokpal

Bigger names make bigger mistakes. After watching the Mohanlal starrer Lokpal you will surely be clueless about what convinced Mohanlal and Joshy to do an unbelievably flawed script. A poor blend of “4 the people” and “Kalikkalam” put in a backdrop of modern day anti-corruption movement, Lokpal is a movie that will leave you surprised for its creatively super dull package.

Nandagopal is a man with dual identity. He is a man who runs a cafeteria in Cochin. But secretly he is “Lokpal”, a one man army who fights against corruption with his possible resources. He has a website where people can submit their sorrows and complaints. With his influences in various government departments Nandagopal aka Lokpal is solving issues and screwing the culprits. The film just narrates a portion of his Lokpal life where he tackles with some big names.

The basic problem of the movie is that the content is very much amateur and the situations questions the common mans sensibility. The reasons that resist the authorities from sacking the so called Lokpal demon are not at all digestible when we look at the modern day techniques. The so called smart moves written by S N Swamy to enhance the heroic acts and technical brilliance of the title protagonist are outdated or we can say as predictable cliché. The typical stereo typed characters like a powerful business tycoon, corrupt minister and wicked police officer are there in this thriller. And I don’t have any idea why they introduced a highly melodramatic character of a female lead in the movie to disturb the rhythm.

On screen, there is nothing there for an actor of Mohanlal’s caliber. Only relief in this bizarre movie is the antagonist played by Sai Kumar and I sincerely thank him for that. Maniyan Pilla Raju, Manoj K Jayan and Shammi Thilakan were satisfying in their roles. Small roles for actors like T G Ravi, Krishna Kumar and a few others. Kavya Madhavan was a total disaster and her dialog delivery in her own voice spoiled all the charm.

Off screen, Joshy disappoints big time with typical making style and also by selecting a pathetic script. S N Swamy need s to do some serious thinking about his ideas. The person who amazed us with thrillers at one time is making total nonsense heroic films that question his credibility. After Trivandrum Lodge the use of helicam has been increased and in Lokpal it was too much. A forgettable music album from Ratheesh Vega and the inclusion of songs were really awkward. Too many getups for Mohanlal to make the movie commercially presentable.

On the whole Lokpal is a surprise disaster. If the big Ms are going like this they better consult with Fahad Fazil. I think he is the only actor now in the industry who is looking for content rather than charisma and cash. My rating for this movie is 1/5 and a yawn. If you are a Mohalal fan please skip this movie to avoid some bad memories.