Movie Review : Empuraan
Jatin Das ( Tovino Thomas) the current CM of Kerala announces that he will be starting a new party, tying up with a party from North India led by Baba Bajrangi ( Abhimanyu Singh). His sister Priyadarshini ( Manju Warrier) is stunned to hear this along with the rest of the party and the public.
In another part of the world, an international don Khurshed Abram ( Mohanlal) is being hounded by interpol and M16 but nobody is able to catch him.
But a series of circumstances lead Abram aka Stephen Nedunpally back home to Kerala where a series of events take place which lead him to Baba Bajrangi.
Why does Stephen return home? What leads him to Bajrangi? Who is Bajrangi in reality ? What happens to Jatin Das' political plans?
The scale of the film is certainly grand, shot in locations across the world from Africa to America and the Uk, from deserts to grand palaces, the movie showcases it all, lending a grandiose element to the screenplay.
The cinematography is superb, adding value to the film by leaps and bounds. The bgm however, doesnt seem to do full justice to the scenario.
Mohanlal, full of swag appears with dollops of style all through the film. The measured dialogue delivery, costumes and panache add to the mystery and power of his character. The camera is effectively used to capture his unhurried pace which adds to the stature and power of his character
Tovino Thomas grabs attention with a solid performance in every frame he appears in. Prithviraj and Mohanlal get a long action sequence at the climax, with ample slow mo and grandstanding. Manju Warrier makes her presence felt with her measured dialogues and body language, adding to every scene she appears in, with a confident and credible performance.
One wishes the wafer thin storyline could have been more developed, given the abundance of fine actors on screen. The slick filmmaking, though commendable, somewhat takes away a certain emotional connect with characters. The brutal and gory intro segment is tough to watch giving a hint on things to come and lending a certain perdictability to the plot. It may take effort for some to keep track of the dialogues in Hindi, Tamil and English via subtitles on the screen.
Watch out for the grand end segment which indicates a sequel and what's its going to be about.
A grand visual spectacle with superb camerawork, Mohanlal's towering presence, full of panache and style, solid performances of a superb cast, coupled with a plethora of mass moments, and action sequences spread across the globe, make the film a slickly made, mass commercial entertainer from the Malayalam film industry.
Rating 3/5
Starring Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warriar, Tovino Thomas, Abhimanyu Singh and others
Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran
Produced by Antony Perumbavoor (Aashirvad Cinemas), Gokulam Gopalan (Sree Gokulam Movies), Subaskaran Allirajah (Lyca Productions)
