Barroz Malayalam Movie Review
Barroz: A Visually Stunning Fantasy with a Shallow Core
Mohanlal's directorial debut offers a visually captivating fantasy drama rooted in loyalty and purpose, but the lack of depth in storytelling and a simplistic conflict fails to deliver a compelling cinematic experience.In his directorial debut, actor Mohanlal embraces a fantasy theme set in Goa with a bizarre lore becoming the essence of it. The actor-director creates the premise of fantasy and sorcery embedded in visual grandeur in his attempt to raise the bar of the plot conflict. 'Barroz' is the tale of the loyalty and honest fulfillment of a purpose by the servant of a Portuguese royal family of yore. The protagonist Barroz is waiting to hand over the keys of the royal treasure that he has been guarding for centuries. He is awaiting the apt heir/heiress for it. This eternal wait for the last 389 years is the curious element in this 3D film that stands tall in its creative fantasy world where a gripping substance has gone for a toss.
By playing the eponymous character, Mohanlal anchors himself in the narration and the situations are hardly challenging for him to enhance the performance. When he doubles up as a director, the straight forward story-telling ploy apparently lacks depth to spur any kind of excitement. Mohanlal has deftly used the visual language to extend an impetus to the narration but it is doubtful if the visual effects can trigger an impact on viewers due to their extensive exposure to foreign fantasy films dunked in extreme intricate technologies. The underwater sequences deserve applause for sure considering the manner in which cinematographer Santhosh Sivan has captured it. 'Barroz' never lags behind in its technical finesse, largely embellished by haute visuals and hi-end settings, but the content evokes the feel of stagnation right from the outset.
It sounds odd when the protagonist is made to repeat the gist of the conflict several times as a reminder. The film is based on the story 'Barroz: Guardian of D'Gama's Treasure' by Jijo Punnoose and it has additional dialogues by Kalavoor Ravikumar. In the opening scene set in AD 1633 in Goa, Barroz tries to save the treasure by fighting against a few thieves in an underground vault. A loyal servant of Portuguese King da Gama (Ignacio Mateos) and his wife Theresa da Gama (Kallirroi Tziafeta), Barroz is an epitome of servitude and sincerity to his master.
As a spirit, Barroz is made to live there as an eternal guardian of the precious treasure in the company of a doll Voodoo, formed from witchcraft by a sorcerer. The freedom of Barroz hinges on the arrival of an heir/heiress from the Portuguese dynasty. Cut to the present day, the movie showcases the ancient building where the treasure is kept. Now it has been kept up for grabs and 13-year-old Isa, played by Maya Rao West, lands in Goa with his father Ron Madhav (Tuhin Menon) to take part in the auction. Ron has plans to convert it into a casino. Outside the palatial building, protestors converge and raise slogans against the move to setting up a casino there.
The battle between virtue and evil is the basic formula here, befitting for a fantasy premise. In the proceedings, the movie brings forth the haunting emotions of Barroz but that gives only a skin-deep impact. Apart from Maya Rao West, who has a good screen presence, other performances end in mediocrity, mainly owing to the lip sync issues. The background score of Lydian Nadhaswaram overflows throughout the movie sans any downside vibes. One of the songs sung by Mohanlal neatly establishes the character's deep bond of love with his master's child Isabella. As a fantasy drama, the tale mainly caters to the sensibilities of children with its splendid and appealing visual treat. Apart from this, the simple conflict struggles to meet the parameters of modern fantasy themes.
