Caribbean Malayalam Movie
The weird manner in which Irshad's 'Carrebeyans' is spelt, is just one of the many reasons why you should wait for its DVD. The script that reminds you of a genre of films that has almost disappeared from the face of the earth, poor characterization and a story line that is as flimsy as a cobweb are some of the other reasons.
It's a shaky government as is usually the case, and when the murder of a minister threatens to topple it down, Vishwanathan (Kalabhavan Mani), an MLA steps in to its recue. He is made the home minister, which irks another minister Natarajan (Sai Kumar) who has been eying the home minister's throne for quite a while.
The thin line moustache that Vishwanathan sports in the film reminds you of the story that the film is trying to tell. There is not a scene in it that sounds inventive and downright unmarked. These are scenes that we have seen in those Shaji Kailas - Renji Panicker films that were hell bent on bringing about a social change not so long back.
As if having a home minister wasn't enough, the director brings in two more Mani-s into the picture. Named Charile and Charles, these are the guys who give the film its (bad) name. They are called the Caribbean brothers for whatever reason, and they have been ruling the Mumbai underworld for quite a while now.
Their mission in Kerala is to impersonate the chief minister and to get a few documents signed. In case you are wondering what the docs are all about, there is this dreaded terrorist Balasubrahmanyam IKiran Raj) cooling his heels at the central prison. His brother who is a multi millionaire has brought in the Caribbean brothers into town, so that they could sneak into the Minsiter's office and sign the papers to release Bala, themselves.
Quite an easy plan, and the baddies would have had a field day out there, if they resembled the home minister. Thank our lucky stars that things aren't as identical in real life. In the film however, everyone from the home minister himself to the police commissioner (Siddique) is flabbergasted that one of the Caribbean brothers even gets to visit a school and plant a tree on his behalf!
The film also has one of the most irritating characters that I have seen in a long, long time. There is this journalist Aleena (Lekshmipriya) who looks anything but a journo, and who is in love with the commissioner. Her coochie cooing lies somewhere between a croak and a squeak and is at times exasperating enough to force a hasty exit from the hall.
It's been some time since I saw Kalabhavan Mani in a role as this. He is quite impressive in the minister's role, but I wouldn't say the same about the other two roles. It's not that Mani doesn't deliver the goods; it's just that there is very little in those roles for Mani to perform.
And here is the million dollar question. What was the slim and sexy Swetha Menon doing in this film, that must have been shot quite a few years earlier?! And there is Venu Nagavally in a cameo as well, as a comrade who has been chucked out by the party.
There aren't likely to be many takers for Irshad's 'Carrebeyans' in the coming days. It's quite archaic when it comes to its theme, and the convoluted plotting only adds to its pains.
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