Black Stallion Malayalam Movie
There are plenty of reasons why I dislike Black Stallion, and the major one among them would be the mediocrity associated with what it hopes would sell. Sex does sell of course, but Black Stallion is no steamy thriller that would set the pulse rates racing in these highly indulgent times.
Namitha gets to play Laura, a bar dancer who is consistently wooed by lusting men all the time. When the Black Stallion (Kalabhavan Mani) casts his eyes on her, she has no other option but to stab the thug in the stomach and flee to another city. Starting a life afresh, she is befriended by Aamir Usman (Bala), a world renowned photographer who promises to transform her life forever.
The cons and double-crosses that Black Stallion offers, appear to have crawled out of some trash pan that's rotting to bits. The characters are two-dimensional stereotypes. The music is unimaginably loud. The scheme looks contrived. The plot is purely manipulative. And the drama, if you can call it that, unconvincing.
There can only be one obvious reason when you decide to cast Namitha in the role of a bar dancer. That's acceptable as well, if it's remarkably done. It's quite unacceptable though, when you get to see her dancing to an atrocious number that has the refrain Sexy Lady coming up every now and then. Down comes the lady in her opening song stepping down a stairway, with the camera panning every bit of her. There is zilch sexiness about this song that has been grossly shot. On the contrary, it's quite revolting.
So when she's not dancing in the bar, what does Laura do? She works part time in a fitness centre and gets to lift weights. If that isn't reason enough for celebration, you might even get to see her strutting her stuff in quite a few dream sequences, courtesy plenty of men around.
There is plenty of money that has obviously been pumped into this insane production. Namitha must have been the savior angel around, since she helps save up lots of money when it comes to her wardrobe. It could have been immensely better if she were able to match up her clothes with a few emotions on her face.
The point is, Namitha looks like a babe lost in the woods through the entire film. That she actually gets to play a similar role has nothing to do with it though. She looks plumper than usual and quite discomfited from start to finish. It's surprising that she even speaks so little in the film; there are very few instances when we actually get to hear her mouth a few lines.
The hollering is of course done by the men around. Mani as the Black Stallion looks as vigorous as an untamable steed, but disappears half way, perhaps to make way to the lesser Stallion, Bala. He, in his turn, seduces Namitha and even appears in a sizzler song that sets the thermometers crackling. But sadly, that's all when it comes to the performances in the film.
Namitha's attempts to set Malluwood ablaze with her oomph goes.. err.. bust. With literally nothing to do except the dare bare act, she couldn't have chosen a more disastrous debut in Malayalam films.
MOVIE REVIEWS