Around 15 years after Big B, Mammootty and Amal Neerad come together again in 'Bheeshma Parvam'.
As expected, the movie is a feast of flamboyant slow motions and epic dialogues. The introduction scenes will remind you of Bollywood's 'Sarkar' and Hollywood's 'The Godfather'.
In Mahabharata, Bheeshma is the supreme commander of the evil forces of Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war, but at the same time was known for his righteousness and upholding of dharma.
Mammootty, as Michael, plays a similar character as the head of an influential family seeped in crime and does the balancing act between family and dharma.
The film is an all out Mammootty show and watching him in slo-mo on the big screen is a visual treat. Add to it an energetic background score by Sushin Shyam and you get a scintillating experience.
Mammooty's baritone utterances and superb stunts are enough to make this action crime drama a hit.
The plot touches upon current relevant social issues like honour killing, beef ban and caste discrimination. It particularly takes a stand against honour killing as the movie begins by reminding us of Kevin and Neenu (In 2018, 23-year-old Kevin P Joseph, a Dalit Christian from Kottayam district of Kerala, was killed two days after marrying 21-year-old Neenu Chacko. Neenu was a Christian from an affluent family and married Kevin against the wishes of her parents. A court had later convicted Neenu's brother and nine others for the murder of Kevin.) when the credits pan out.
Mammootty also makes a statement in the movie that the family's decision is to stand with any two individuals in love with each other.
Notable characters in Michael's 'Anjootti' family are safe in the hands of Nadhiya Moidu, Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Shine Tom Chacko and Dileesh Pothan.
It was also very endearing to see late actors Nedumudi Venu and KPAC Lalitha on screen again and was a great chance to watch their acting prowess. The characters played by them will easily remind you of the wicked 'Kuttoosan' and 'Dakini' from 'Balarama' comics, yet command respect and grace.
Perhaps the only disappointing factor by Amal Neerad was the lifting of some scenes and dialogues from Ram Gopal Varma's 'Sarkar'. For a story so powerfully done, it could have been avoided and still played out the mass act.
Sudev Nair, plays Rajan, the antagonist in the movie. However, Mammootty is all-powerful like Bheeshma and even says that he has control over his own death, so there is very little Rajan could do in such a scenario.
The song 'Parudeesa...' was already a hit even before the film's release and Shyam's magic works well throughout the 144 minutes duration.
The movie is set in the 80s and the crew have managed to play well on our recollection of the olden times, whether it be the placement of an old packet of modern bread, vintage cars and the use of cassettes, VCR and walkman.
The director and production team deserve applause for taking us back to a time before the mobile phones. Combined with Anend C Chandran's cinematography, you are in for a splendid watch.
If you loved Mammootty's mass acts like Big B, then this is a must watch.
