Ottu Malayalam Movie
In Fellini T P's Ottu, a youngster named Kichu (Kunchacko Boban) takes on the paid task of befriending the right-hand man of a gold smuggler and bringing his lost memory back. Arvind Swamy plays David or Dawood, the assistant of a gold smuggler named Assainar, who loses all his memory after a violent fight and is living as a popcorn seller. A gang seeks Kichu's help to bring the real David back and offers him a sum of 25 Lakhs if he succeeds in the mission. Kichu wants the money to go to Sweden with his girlfriend, Kalyani (Eesha Rebba), but will he be able to bring the real David back?
Bringing David's memory back requires Kichu to recreate the moments leading up to the events that triggered his memory problem. This involves a long drive covering Goa and Udupi. As Kichu takes him through each moment, David's behaviour starts to change, and soon we see the real face of David. Kichu fears for his life when he realizes that David is a dangerous man who could gun down people and break them with his fists in the blink of an eye.
There is good chemistry between the two lead actors in the film, but this is not enough to hold our attention. A couple of plot twists in the second half may be interesting, but their inclusion seems more like an afterthought. It's like Fellini and his writer S. Sanjeev said to themselves, "let's try these twists" when discussing multiple options over a cup of coffee. It's not like we do not consider one of these twists; we do, but by the time it comes in the screenplay, plausibility goes for a toss. There is hardly any juicy piece of information or conversation in the lead up to the twists, making these elements seem hasty. There are these twists, but the beginning and middle portion of the movie seem hollow.
Performance-wise, it is an OK film. Arvind Swamy does a good job of showing the different shades of his character. The actor has a magnetic screen presence that allows him to hold our attention even as he has no lines. Vineeth's dubbing for Arvind Swamy is also commendable. Kunchacko Boban has good chemistry with Arvind Swamy, but he is not convincing enough in the latter portions of the film. It's understandable why Fellini cast Kunchacko Boban in this role, but he seems like a fish out of water following a major plot twist. The fact that it is a grossly underwritten part does not help Kunchacko Boban either.
The other casting blunder comes in the form of Jackie Shroff as an underworld boss. Jackie Shroff does not get to show his menacing demeanor and is reduced to a mere caricature here. It's disappointing for the fans of the actor to see him utilized like this.
Even a 1.30 hour film seems longer. We see words like Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 appear as the end credits roll. Gosh, will we have to sit through a prequel and a sequel now?
MOVIE REVIEWS