Racy entertainer concept in Malayalam cinema nowadays seems to be revolving round one location- Pollachi.
The script writers will get the freedom to juggle with the nativity factor that has always been a big challenge to them. The movie ‘Chattambinadu’ is the latest in the so-called Pollachi entertainers.
Director Shafi is considered to be a man with the midas touch in Mollywood, especially after the stupendous hits ‘Kalyana Raman,’ ‘Thommanum Makkalum,’ ‘Mayavi’ and ‘Chocolate.’ By joining hands with one of the successful script writers of Malayalam- Benny P Nayarambalamhe has tried to live up to the expectations in ‘Chattambinadu’ as well. And he succeeds in his attempt partially and as a result the end product is a cocktail of comedy, action and stunt sequences and a flashback far from any logic.
The story revolves around Chembattunad, which is known as Chattambinad, the hub of criminals.
Adding to the list of criminals there, a landlord from Karnataka- Veerendra Mallayya is coming to Chattambinadu with a mission in his mind. The USP of the film is not the storyline, but Mammootty who has always been keen to experiment and change in tandem with the changes in tinseldom. His walking style in the CBI series, his experiments with his attire in Mrugaya and the perfect Thiruvananthapuram slang in ‘Rajamanikyam’ are a few instances to cite.
Veerendra Mallayya, the lead role portrayed by the actor in ‘Chattambinadu’ is a typical mass hero- unstoppable, unbreakable and unbeatable. It’s a wholesome Mammootty show.
The actor is at his commercial best -be it the stunt sequence, comedy or heroism. Another highlight is the perfect Kannada accent with which Mammootty delivers dialogue-Kudos to the actor. There is an aura of style in whatever he ventures on the screen with his cool mannerisms.
Salimkumar as Makri Goplanand Suraj Venjara moodu as Dashamoolam try their hands at evoking comedy and succeed fairly. Sidhique portrays the cliched villain - Kattuppally Nagendran- and his dialogues and acts are also predictable.
The rest of the cast including Manoj K Jayan, Vinu Mohan, Shobha Mohan, Janardhanan and Lakshmi Rai play their part fairly.
‘Chattambinadu’ is really about style. Smartly lensed by Manoj Pillai, the movie has riveting fight sequences by action coordinator Anal Arasu.
As a whole it is a masala entertainer for ardent Mammootty fans. ‘Sumne Aatta Notkondiro’ (Just watch the game).