Review: Robinhood is for Prithviraj's fans

The making of a superstar was the statement that gained prominence with the commercial success of Prithviraj's previous Malayalam release Puthiya Mukham. No matter what issues you had with the film, credit should be given where it is due, and that is after nearly a decade of hard work, Prithviraj has entered the big league.

In his new Malayalam film, Robinhood, Prithviraj tries to consolidate his position as a hero whose name would be enough to guarantee crowds. Veteran director Joshiy at the helm of affair does makes an effort to give credibility to the proceedings.

The story is about a thief Venkatesh (Prithviraj) who steals money from ATM machines by using fake ATM cards. He gives tutorials during the day and steals after midnight. His target is IBI Bank owned by Nandakumar Menon (Biju Menon). At first, the bank is in denial that anything is amiss, believing the discrepancies to be a computer error. They wake up only when the pilferage reaches mammoth proportions, and when account holders demand an explanation. The police get involved and even a private investigator Alexander Felix (Narein) is pressed into service. Felix, an expert in solving cyber crimes gets help from Rupa (Bhavana), the system head of the bank, who is specially deputed from Mumbai for this purpose.

The technical details about the heist would make good children's literature! Still, we wait for things to explode or some unexpected twists, but they never come. The narrative keeps going round and round, then suddenly things happen in a jiffy as if the director realised that the time for the climax has come, with lots of loose ends hanging around.

The script by Sachi-Sethu handles humour well, but, is found lacking when it comes to providing substances to the characters. So, the hugely mounted effort turns out to be a disappointment.

The main trio try their best to pump life into the flaccid story and even succeed to give us a glimmer of hope. The film belongs to Prithviraj, whether it is the stylised look of the thief or the formally attired TamBhram intellectual or even the GenNext yuppie; though all of it ends up being superficial in the final outcome.

Narein as Felix has something new to offer. His role is virtually of a comedian, which is a departure from his role in films like Classmates, 4the People and even the intense roles in a couple of Tamil films. Bhavana in an important role is okay. Samvrutha as Abhirami, Venky's student who has a crush on him, provides some funny moments but suddenly vanishes in the second half. Jayasurya as the police officer investigating the case is reduced to a side role. Biju Menon as the villain seems to be sleepwalking through the film without having any intensity or vigour.

All in all, Robinhood falls short of expectations and will depend on Prithviraj's fans to make it a success.

Rediff Rating: