Movie Review : Vasco Da Gama
The film begins with an explanation about a world when kaliyuga becomes more strong and bad traits are respected while goodness is frowned upon.
Vasudevan ( Nakkhul ) is an upright activist youth who loses his beloved elder brother (Prem ) due to an unsuccessful operation by a greedy hospital.
He then sets out to rebuild his life in a new place. There he meets his uncle (Muniskanth) who lives amongst people who are villainous and indulge in nefarious activities. There he meets his childhood classmate Lakshana (Arthana Binu). His uncle forces Vasudevan also to act like a rowdy in order to fit into the milieu.
Meanwhile at Vasco Da Gama prison, Marco ( K S Ravikumar) the father of Vasudevan is in jail for being a good person. Vasudevan now enters the same jail for saving a man from murderers and Marcos is very happy his good son will be coming. But his bad son Govardhan ( Vamsi Krishna) who is planning to kill him also lands up in the same jail. Marco mistakes one son for the other and thereby puts his life in danger. But there is also a big surprise in store for the killer as well.
What happens next? Does evil win over good?
The film is made on a grand scale with pleasant visuals. The sprawling jail looks more like a resort in the film.
The concept of the story, where goodness is considered a blackmark seems interesting but the execution is where the film falters big time.
The screenplay is confusions galore. The so- called comedy hardly manages to raise any laughs and is largely tiresome to watch. Be it the situations, dialogues or acting, it all seems loud and dated.
The loud BGM doesnt do much to elevate the film though it is suitably apt in places.
The story is supposed to indicate how the future kaliyuga will be, where evil will be honored ( there is even a statue of satan in a hospital called ' naraka hospital'). But the comedy is quite amateurish in presentation like for instance the hospital scenes, or the ones where Nakkhul deals with a swordwielding don, by pushing him into a large puddle !
At no point is there any connect with any character.
Arthana Binu looks good in the few scenes she appears in while Nakkhul makes a mark in his comeback film. Though he shines in his role whereever he appears, Nakkhul looks lost, pulled down by weak writing and a convoluted plot. A talented actor like Nakkhul could have been better utilised. Anandraj and Munushkanth elevate the scenes they appear in. One wonders why KS Ravikumar accepted this role.
There are a large bunch of talented and known artists but the weak writing lets them down.
There's a twist in the tale towards the end with KS Ravikumar bagging the spotlight. But by that time one may find it tough to stay invested in what's going on.
A comic caper with an interesting premise, with a good ensemble cast, which could have done with better writing and a clearer screenplay and narration.
Rating 2.5 /5
