Film: The Great Father Genre: Thriller Director: Haneef Adeni
Cast: Mammootty, Arya, Anikha
There’s a stark confusion that stares at one’s face just a while into Haneef Adeni’s The Great Father amid all the splendid shots and the music score with jazz overtones; one cannot decide whether the movie was directed keeping in mind the severity of the issue it was seemingly dwelling on, or the very problem was a mere prop to win accolades for the men in leather jackets.
The Great Father, as its name suggests, tom toms the man and father that is David Ninan (Mamootty), the superhero to his daughter Sarah (Anikha). The film begins with the murder of a police inspector by a serial killer, who is also a pedophile. A team of police (Arya and Malavika Mohanan) are out to investigate. Only, they seem to be crouching way too low before even attempting to take the leap.
How David Ninan’s secret collides with their prowling, and where that leads to becomes the story. (Spoilers ahead) The dampener in the story is the way a case involving a pedophile unfolds; the focus slowly but surely shifts from the problem to a strange game of cat and mice where two men compete against one another to get to the bottom of it all.
The gravity of the situation demands sensibility and maturity, but neither manifests itself on screen. Instead, it’s all about keeping scores of the slow mo scenes in chic Louis Vuittons, Armanis and gliding around in ultra sleek suede shoes!
Mammootty gives the already upbeat BGM quite a challenge with his good looks and ups the style quotient. However, the movie offers nothing much to boost his acting credentials. Arya plays a dubious character where he seems to be standing up against rampant pedophilia, but comes up with surprisingly insensitive statements coupled with chuckles at times.
Sneha, as Mammootty’s wife, does a blink and miss show, and Malavika Mohanan doesn’t do much to impress. Kalabhavan Shajon, although in a small role, does a credible job. Anikha, although quite charming has tried her best to give her sketchy role a revival.
The original score by Sushin Shyam is something that keeps the going smooth in the film. Gopi Sunder’s music, especially the jazz-infused parts sound good.
While the movie did intend to bring some crucial points regarding child safety to the fore, it unmistakably wobbles every time a scene bargains for the audiences’ hoot and whistle for their ‘star’ instead of taking home a pointer or two.