Mayapuri Malayalam Movie
Mahesh Kesav's 'Mayapuri' could have sprouted from an extremely appealing idea, but when the core spirit of the film seems to have been lost in the process of being adapted to screen. Blemished by some incompetent storytelling and mediocre special effects, 'Mayapuri' is an archetypal instance of a motivating thought ruined beyond repair in the course of its execution.
The film tells the tale of four children who embark on a journey to a mystical land named Mayapuri, where the ultimate power reigns. The voyage, beset with colossal perils tangles with the evil spirit's endeavours to take God himself as hostage! The numinous terrain hides within its realms disclosures galore as the kids explore and discover for themselves.
'Mayapuri' for the most part does not get its course right, and it might sound ironic that the film itself talks of a tricky route to an imaginary land where glory awaits. The script too meanders along like this fiddly pathway to grandeur, and is riddled with potholes and caverns galore that the naive viewer quite easily falls into.
This is a film that fails to exploit its true assets, and the thoughtful undertones of the film never really take off beyond the starting point. And when the slogging begins shortly after, 'Mayapuri' shows signs of evolving into an uninvolving film, with the drudgery steadily on the rise with every passing minute.
If 'Mayapuri' ends up an arid endeavour, it is only because its emotionally lifeless. And then, one hopes for the spectacles to light up the screen, and when the graphics look a bit too labored and the special effects too run-of-the-mill, it dawns on you that the staging isn't much better than the scripting.
It's disappointing that for a film that claims to bank on its 3D effects, 'Mayapuri' falls exceptionally low in the technical finesse that it puts on show. In comparison to other 3D films that we have had in the recent past, 'Mayapuri' pales beyond recognition and scores terribly low.
I wouldn't call 'Mayapuri' a nothing movie, since the sparse, but captivating specks of thought that appear here and there are worth a mention. That they build up into a bloated cinematic piece is another matter altogether, but the fundamental notion is without doubt an enchanting one.
The acting, especially that of the young actors is adequate, and Kalabhavan Mani is around as well in an evil avatar that is expected to send a chill up one's spine. Though nothing of the sort transpires, Mani does manage to make his presence felt with an ominous act that maintains a precarious line that keeps him from venturing into ham-away territory.
The two odd stars that are granted to 'Mayapuri' are for the intriguing and yet almost invisible philosophical line of thought that stretches across its rutted narrative. Barring that single element, there is very little left in it that would impress the viewer looking for either entertainment or intellectual enticement.
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