Rudra Simhasanam Malayalam Movie
'Rudra Simhasanam' is a bombshell of sorts, that sends shockwaves up and down your spine, for all the wrong reasons. The tantric thriller that attempts to mix up mysticism with liberal doses of magic and mantra, very quickly makes it to the list of noted downers that have hit the screens this year.
It's a horrific story that Hymavathi (Nikki Galrani) tells, and one which is expected to make your hair stand on its end. Stand it does, but the exasperation that drives it to the standing point is one that is spurred by a laborious and yet futile strain to make it appealing.
Rudra Simhan (Suresh Gopi), the tantric maestro who had retreated from a worldly life, has no other choice but to return, since the lesser beings on the earth simply cannot do without availing his exclusive services. So return he does, with his hair tied up in a knot, and in a gala entry vouchsafes that the master means business.
Based on a best seller by the much popular writer Sunil Parameshwaran, 'Rudra Simhasanam' has a story that sounds better on print than on screen. Which is why, despite all the visual wizardry that is there, it strikes us as a daft piece that is inadvertently hilarious at times.
It also perhaps remains that the script that has been penned, has retained none of the resourcefulness of the story, and has been wrecked by dialogues that make your eyes pop out in sheer astonishment. Some of them leave you totally aghast (like the ones that are uttered by Thanu Pillai played by Nedumudi Venu) with their zaniness while some others sound so fussy and convoluted that you would wonder if you have heard them right.
There are several such instances that leave you dumbstruck, and the misguided script and sheenless direction pull this heavily cast film repeatedly down. Not any amount of popcorn that is stuffed down one's throat will help one struggle through this mess, and it steadily moves ahead from bad to worse until it culminates in a frail climax.
I would however hand it over to the makers who have come up with some impressive special effects, but they are all in the wrong place, and create the least impact. There is also some striking cinematography by Jithu Damodar, all of which get washed down the drain, what with the inane proceedings that occur on screen.
'Rudra Simhasanam' also has some surprisingly over the top acting by actors like Nedumudi Venu and Sudheer Karamana, both of whom appall with the inflated melodrama that they bring into their performances. Nikki Galrani has to go a long way before she can take up a role as the one in this film, and she offers a striking contrast to seasoned female actors like Kaniha and Swetha Menon who despite having shorter roles come up with more convincing feats.
And there is Suresh Gopi himself, who does display a persuasive screen presence, but who is never able to move beyond the initial elation that his role generates. Viswajith, and the musical score that he has crafted for the film leave a lot to be desired as well.
What does one expect of a film in which there aren't even flashes of promise around? At one hundred and seventy seven minutes, 'Rudra Simhasanam' is a torment by any standards, and would require some supernatural clout to stay put at the theatres.
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