Role Models Malayalam Movie
It is old wine, new bottle once again as one more comedy joins the sorry remains of the genre's glory days in Malayalam cinema. This time, it is Fahadh Faasil-starrer, Role Models, whose juvenile jokes and tacky plot tickle no funny bone whatsoever.
Rafi from the well-known Rafi-Mecartin duo helms Role Models by overtly sticking to his strengths. Never do we sense a reinvention from his side. Instead, Rafi's traditional screenplay reels from rehashed comedy so much so that he rips off his own jokes and characters of the past (read: Punjabi House).
Fahadh is typecast as the reserved white-collar guy with a history. He looks so out of place under the overdone humour. Fahadh is no stranger to the art of comedy, as seen before in North 24 Kaatham and Maheshinte Prathikaram. But, those performances were deftly handled through great collaborations with his directors. Here, his half-hearted effort is an awkward symbol of the film's fundamental failings.
Fahadh's sidekicks in Vinayakan, Vinay Forrt and Sharafudheen are nothing more than the typical comic reliefs that have infested Malayalam comedies over the years. Namitha Pramod's heroine wants us to believe she is cool before double-crossing everyone with corny flashbacks.
The supporting turns from Renji Panicker, Srinda Arhaan and Siddique, among others, and the Goan milieu are of no help either as they exist for the sake of existing. If characters are written so poorly, even the best actors would struggle to make them work. So, it is Rafi's screenplay rather than the performers which has to take blame for Role Models' absentee entertainment.
Audiences welcome over-the-top comedies as long as the laughs are aplenty. Films like Role Models expect viewers to switch off their brains. But, there is only so much room for zero-trick ponies in today's cinema. Therefore, Role Models guarantees fun only to people who welcome its bygone hijinks.
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Kiran Allan
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