'Mallu Singh' (Malayalam)
Director: Vyshakh
Cast: Unni Mukundan, Kunchakko Boban, Biju Menon, Manoj K Jayan, Samvritha Sunil
Singhs have not been new to movie-lovers, having cut a niche for themselves in Bollywood in their humorous, villainous and virtuous avatars, like the immortal Gabbar Singh.
The success of recent Singhs, like Happy (Akshay Kumar in 'Singh is Kinng'), on celluloid might have inspired director Vyshakh and scriptwriter Sethu to think about the idea of a Singh exclusively for Malayalis.
To be sure, they have come out with the quirkily-named 'Mallu Singh' as their latest offering.
Unfortunately, their ‘Singh’ film offers nothing special to the ‘Mallus’.
To be called a Mallu is somewhat irritating to most Malayalis. But that feeling is born out of their ignorance, says Sethu through the film. There is nothing to be ashamed of.
And guess what; in Punjab, there is one street exclusively dedicated to Malayalis - Mallu Street! There lives a superhuman Singh.
‘Naam hain uska Mallu Singh’ aka Hareender Singh (Unni Mukundan). Mallu Singh does not mind people calling him a Mallu. Actually, it is with great respect and fear that the original Singhs, and even the entire North Indians look upon him.
The reason is simple.
He has four sisters and if anyone even looks at them, this Mallu Singh will turn into a ‘roaring’ Singh. Mallu Singh will not just beat those who look at his sisters.
Rather the entire male population in the area will have to bear the brunt of his rage. His one kick is akin to a whack by an elephant. And, what if anyone tries to punch him back? Our Singh will remain like an iceberg and those who try to knock him down will have to face the same fate as that of Titanic.
Contrary to Unni Mukundan’s roles in 'Bombay March 12' and 'Tatsamayam Oru Penkutty', here he portrays a mass hero. But, it is sad to see that Vyshakh’s mass hero concept still revolves around the heroism of Tamil director Perararsu’s offerings in 'Sivakasi', 'Thirumalai' and 'Thirupachi'.
In Vyshakh’s debut effort 'Pokkiriraja', it was Prithviraj and Mammootty’s turn to play a game of carrom. The heroes become strikers, and the villains just coins.
Poor ‘Unni’ Singh was entrusted with the carrom board job, but he looks too immature a player for such a heavy game. The film is also a reminder that a good star cast alone will not make a total entertainer.
Kunchakko Boban dons the role of Aniyan who goes to Punjab in search of a long lost brother Hari. His sister (Samvritha Sunil) is still waiting for the return of Hari and Aniyan believes that Mallu Singh is Hari himself. Biju Menon and Manoj K Jayan play the roles of Karthikeyan and Pappan respectively.
Suraj Venjaramoodu dons the role of Pareekkutty, the character which fails miserably in creating any genuine comedy.
If the characters are shoddily developed, the actors cannot be blamed.
Shaji’s camera has beautifully captured the picturesque landscape of Punjab and it is the lone grace of the film. The re-recording leaves a lot to be desired at certain points.
'Mallu Singh' ends up as a forgettable episode and once again underlines the fact that Vysakh will have to apply some novel thoughts next time, if he is planning another mass ‘masala’ entertainer.