Mandharam - "A Flawed,But Passable Feel-Good Drama"
Rating - 2.5/5
Review
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Asif Ali has become a minimum guarantee star in mollywood,with almost all among his recent flicks being nevertheless decent one-time watches with the major share being feel good tales of romance and friendship.Directed by debutant Vijeesh Vijay,this Asif Ali starrer is a feel good tale of self-exploration with an enjoyable first half and a clumsy and more or less aimless second half.


The premise reminds you of films like Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar,where we get to see the hero reinventing himself after mishaps with love,establishing statements like not to put the key to one's happiness in someone else's pocket.The screenplay by Sajas cleverly utilizes the chemistry between Asif,Jacob Gregory,Arjun Ashokan and Vineeth Vishwam to evoke laughs in the first half and that has worked out well for the narrative that's breezy for the first hour.


Its the second half where the movie falters big time,losing its focus on the plot with a hurried narrative that looks ambitious but struggles hard due to hollow depth of the the storyline.Most importantly the forced conflict inside the mind of the heroine failed to look genuine and communicate with the viewers who will feel awkward by the sudden change of the storyline.The way the story progressed became more unconvincing with the passage of running time and the movie ended with a strictly average climax that's overly cliched and predictable.


Songs and background score by Mujeeb Majeed were good and the use of song-bits from old melodies worked out well for the narrative.The pick among the songs were "Kanne Kanne" and "Kadalaazham" thats worthy for an add into the playlist.Edits by Vivek Harshan were good.Frames by Bahul Ramesh were fresh and colorful.


Asif Ali played different facets in the life of our hero Rajesh impressively and with required conviction.Had the screenplay been worked out better the character could have been among the best ones in his cinematic career.Varsha Bollammma got ample screen presence as the lady love and played her part well.Anarkali Marikar was good.Jacob Gregory,Arjun Ashokan adn Vineth Vishwaam succeeded in generating laughs with their funny mannerisms and counters.Ganesh Kumar played the part of hero's dad well.


Overall,Mandharam is a below average execution of an interesting plot that qualifies for a one-time watch at the best,thanks to some good lead performances and music.


Show & Movie Details-
Language::Malayalam
Duration::137 Minutes
Theatre::Sree Cinemas,Calicut
Date:14/10/18
Showtime::02:30 PM
Status::50%
CBFC Rating::U
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