Fukri Malayalam Movie
It is no secret that director Siddique reached the height of his success with the Hindi remake of Bodyguard in 2011. His three projects thereafter have indicated a steady slump, with Jayasurya-starrer Fukri being the latest to do it.
Fukri is essentially Udayapuram Sultan meets Punjabi House meets Karyasthan, all had Dileep in the lead role. So, it would have made little difference had Dileep himself starred here instead of Jayasurya, because that is how generic the lead character, Luckman Fukri is. As if the name does not make it obvious, Luckman a.k.a. Lucky is an engineering drop-out-turned-fraud for whom luck is indispensable. Fortune favours the brave and it sure does save Lucky in crucial circumstances. The typical viewer would be ecstatic to tag along in Lucky's comically edgy journey but the biggest obstacle to this is the unlikability of his character. The screenplay hardly gives any information about Lucky's past and his internal conflict. It never portrays his love and loyalty for the two families as well as his love interest as genuine. Once it is established, there is always a hint of deceit in his character till the third act. Then, Lucky undergoes a miraculous transformation that defies all logic and goes on a spree of good deeds, in a desperate attempt to please the other characters as well as the audience. Ultimately, such an inconsistency of characterization mars his likability in a big way.
Prayaga Martin plays yet another weak, submissive Malayalam heroine. There is no real intimacy or passion to find between her character, Nafsi, and Lucky anywhere in Fukri. Aalia (Anu Sithara), a relatively stronger female character, is also reduced to a plot device, made evident by a lame plot-twist at the backend of the film. The supporting actors in Siddique (actor), KPAC Lalitha and Lal take us back to the good old days of middlebrow Malayalam cinema. Unfortunately, the fact remains that Fukri demands more than their mere presence for its salvation even though it does not give them enough material to work on. Yet, the subdued contributions from comic reliefs, Kalabhavan Niyas and Nirmal Palazhi, through their respective dialects and explosive one-liners ensure that Malayalam cinema still has some fine comedians under its belt in this day and age.
With better writing and direction, Fukri would have become an entertaining old-school Malayalam comedy. The dated style of humour is beyond modern comprehension as the audience have grown wiser by the day. Siddique should look at Fukri as a reality check for his career and change his game before it is too late.
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