Several attempts has been made to re-architect old classic The Godfather in Indian cinemas and notable ones were Mani Rathinams Nayakan and RGV's Sarkar. Now its time for Amal Neerad widely known for inspirational remakes, leveraged the stardom of Mammooty to bring life to this age old generational saga.
Like The Godfather, the story begins with a family event and like the film Malik the first 15 minutes can be confusing as the entire big family tree is explained verbally through various characters. The key figure Michael, the patriarch of the family played with style and swagger by Mammooty is a treat to watch. Amal used him perfectly to play his age. Its right balance of heroism vs realism. “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man,” So his focus has been changed and he sort of messiah for some people. His past and how the fear is instilled is nicely showcased. Steeped in themes like loyalty to family and the importance of religion, the films focuses on how dangerous the family ties can be. If in Lucifer, Lal covered the frames in left and right with his white avatar, here Mamooka hits the camera head on in pure black avatar. It was always difficult for me to associate him in action scenes due to his lack of flexibility but here i found that much more acceptable. The second best character of the film is Soubin Shahir, at least someone is trying to leverage the best out of him.
If someone wanted to learn how to use super wide angle lens to accentuate the frame to show epic of scale, then this can be case study example. There is an old saying too much of something is good for nothing. That saying goes true for this film where each and every act is a slow-mo circus with an overpowering BGM which can pierce your ears. With a highly predictable story line, the only way to keep you engaged is through visuals and glossy setup. The three songs add no value to the film's weak story line. Amal produced few scenes of great intensity, but also a bit of a bloated feeling at times too. The overtones and over-styl·ized setup did not appeal much to me. In the end it didn't quite hang together. It has a sufficiently engaging pace and you won't get bored for sure. I was never a fan of The Godfather movie and gangster dramas are my least favourite genre. If you have not booked the tickets then wait for OTT will be my recommendation unless you are hardcore fan.
Verdict - 3/5(Bilal is Back)