White Malayalam Movie
Director Uday Ananthan makes an effort to whitewash a severely blotched script in his latest film 'White'. At best a slushy soap that features two of the best looking actors in showbiz, 'White' is an overly rich sentimental saga that has its heart in the wrong place.
Roshni Menon (Huma Qureshi), an engineer who lands in London on a professional assignment runs into Prakash Roy (Mammootty), a billionaire with a mystifying past, and falls head over heels in love with him. The city stands witness as the duo starts exploring their own selves and of each other, and as love rewrites the story of their lives.
The self indulgence of the film is appallingly shocking, and it banks totally on its peripheral shine to cover up all the deficiencies that lie within. There are no surprises in store when it comes to the story line or the narrative structure, and this gorgeous looking mediocrity moves along conventional ways to a banal climax.
The dialogues are at their pretentious worst, and one can only listen to them with bewilderment, not quite sure if one has tuned in to a badly scripted sitcom at midnight. There are a couple of rational statements that stand out from this garish lot, but if you have watched the trailer of the film, you have probably watched them already as well.
I wouldn't blame someone for being led to the belief that a vagueness would lead to a revelation that lies just around the corner, and for feeling dejected when nothing of the sort transpires. 'White' is certainly not that kind of a movie, and its ambition is strangely restricted to cooking up a flashy ambience and little else.
Uday Ananthan seems to have carried on the modus operandi in his former films further with 'White',and ensures that he has the best technical team backing him up. But what is inexcusable is the fact that there seems to have been very little effort if at all, to focus on the substance in this film either - that fatal error that had made both his earlier movies sink without a trace.
Here is another film that has Mammootty at his dashing best, and the man emphasizes further why he can still give the younger crop of actors a run for their money, with his lethal looks. Unfortunately, it also happens to be one of those films that require him to merely strut around sashaying in style, warming up every other frame with his magnificent screen presence.
Huma Qureshi , as dazzling as she looks, must have found herself on alien ground, playing the girl besotted with the mysterious man; quite a far cry from the kind of roles that she had been offered in Bollywood. Siddique and Shankar Ramakrishnan appear in noteworthy roles as well.
'White' is a visual treat, with cinematographer Amarjith Singh capturing London at its effervescent best. There are any number of picture perfect frames in the film, that lends a genteel feel to it, even as the substance fails it repeatedly. The film also has an invigorating musical score by the ever dependable Rahul Raj.
Probably the most disappointing film to have come from Mammootty in recent years, 'White' is a royal washout. And aside from being a feast to the eyes, it has zilch to offer!
MOVIE REVIEWS