Hallo Malayalam Movie

Jul 9, 2007 By Unni Nair

Produced under the banner of Jithin Arts, the Mohanlal-starrer Hallo is a colourful entertainer clearly carrying the Rafi-Mecartin stamp. Right from their first film itself, director duo Rafi and Mecartin have been churning out colourful entertainers for all sections of viewers. And their latest offering Hallo too conforms to this pattern.

Hallo tells the story of an advocate named Sivaraman who is addicted to boozing and is seldom seen in a sober condition. He is mostly found in bars and toddy shops and seldom goes to the court. His constant companion in such outings is Chandy Kunju, his close friend. It is always Chandy's job to bring the drunken Sivaraman back home in a bike, which is fitted with a side-car for this purpose.

Sivaraman has a reason for hitting the bottle so hard and that has to do with his family, which consists of his parents and his younger brother, who is a Police Officer. He is taking revenge on his family for having been indirectly responsible for the death of a girl whom he loved. Boozing helps him forget his sorrows.

Things take a change when Parvathy, a young girl who hails from a very rich and influential family makes an entry into Sivaraman's life. Parvathy is forced to flee from home following certain hints that there is a possibility of her being murdered by her own uncles. But while on the run, she falls into the hands of the goons sent by her enemies and she is locked up in a room. While she tries to make a call, the goons smash the telephone. But Parvathy manages to join wires and the person she gets on line is Sivaraman, who is a total stranger to her.

Sivaraman rescues her and takes it upon himself to save her. From here Sivaraman's life takes a twist. Other characters now appear like Parvathy's father Bada Saab, her uncles Mahesh Bhai and Dinu, and her relative Susheel Bhai, all of whom manage a finance company named Dalal and Dalal Co. The Company's legal adviser Thomas Jacob and Praveen and Chidambaram who work in the company, too have decisive roles to play in the subsequent happenings. And thus develops the plot of Hallo.

The main highlight or attraction of Hallo is not the story itself, but the way the story is presented, plus of course the presence and performance of Mohanlal in the lead role. The story, which is one of intrigue and suspense in the latter half, is treated rather colourfully, with the correct blending of comedy, songs et al in true Rafi-Mecartin style.

Mohanlal gives a thoroughly enjoyable performance as Sivaraman. It is no less than a treat to watch him portray the always-inebriated lawyer with elan. Jagathy Sreekumar gives good support as Chandy Kunju, who has a limp on one of his feet, but always outruns people who chase him. Parvathy Melton as Parvathy is good. Madhu as Bada Saab, Siddique as Mahesh Bhai, Ganesh as Sivaraman's brother Sudheesh, Jagadeesh as Thomas Jacob, Salim Kumar as Chidambaram, Saiju Kurup as Praveen, Janardhanan as Sivaraman's father, Madhu Warrier as Susheel Bhai etc do justice to their respective roles. Sphadikom George, Bheeman Reghu and Mohanraj (Keerikaadan Jose) as the three funny goons who stand by Sivaraman, add colour to the whole show.

As for the technical aspects, Sanjeev Shankar's camera work, Boban's sets and Don Max's cuts are perfectly in tune with the mood of the film and are no doubt among the highlights of the film. Of the songs, "Chella thaamare..." has come out quite well. In all, Hallo is a Mohanlal-starrer that you would just like to go out and enjoy, setting aside all your worries and preconceptions. A perfect entertainer!