'Thappana' (Malayalam)
Director-: Johnny Anthony
Cast: Mammootty, Charmi, Murali Gopi, Suresh Krishna
The title ‘Thappana’ is strong and interesting enough not to think of the movie as a crass commercial-masala typical of the Johnny Antony brand. Also, the director is known for comic capers like 'CID Moosa', 'Thuruppugulan' and 'Kochi Rajavu', with most of his films being well-received.
In his third outing with Mammootty, the director offers him the character Samson. Nobody expects that Johnny will compromise on a hackneyed formula, fuelling the thought that the movie will turn out to be a fun ride. But, honestly, this Thappana has succeeded only partially in offering that extra thrill expected.
Samson (Mammootty) is coming out from jail after serving a sentence of four years, for a robbery. The same day another prisoner, Mallika (Charmi), too is released. She meets with an accident and Samson saves her, falls in love with her and travels with her to her village. There, she has to face a tough situation and Samson plays the role of the saviour. End of story, roll out the credits.
An honest attempt on the scriptwriter’s part to create some intriguing moments and twists or from the director to opt for a racy narration would have widened the scope of the movie. But both Johnny Antony and writer Sindhuraj decided to play safe without bringing out anything extra-ordinary. As a result, the movie’s path becomes predictable.
Murali Gopi and Suresh Krishna play the villains, and their performances cannot be faulted, as their characters are not menacing or sharp-witted enough. In most of the scenes, Murali’s character, Kannu Kuttan, has nothing to do other than staring at Samson sitting comfortably in his jeep or bullet. Charmi sheds her glamorous outfit for Mallika and the character offers her some scope to demonstrate her acting skills, which she does.
It is a cakewalk for the rest of the actors as their characters have hardly anything to offer. Vidyasagar’s music and background score go well with the mood of the film and the number ‘Oorum Perum’ is melodious.
A gripping storyline is usually missing among a majority of mass masala entertainers and the flaw remains unnoticed in the boisterous atmosphere these movies create in the cinema halls. But in Thappana, without a good plot and elements of suspense missing, there is nothing to hold the audiences’ attention.
An energetic performance by Mammootty is the saving grace of Thappana which makes the movie a one-time watch, irrespective of cliches galore.