It is true that all Keralites have been complaining that Mohanlal seems to be stuck to his superhero image, and is not doing 'commoner' roles that have endeared him to his fans. Director Blessy seems to have paid to heed to the complaints because in his new film Bhramaram, not only that does he exploit the dexterous capabilities of the actor to the hilt but also moulds his character in such a way that it endears us to the actor.
We may get intrigued by the tagline of the film -- Brutally Innocent -- but, by the end of the film, we are convinced that it was aptly used. The only grouse we can have against the film is that it becomes a Road film (as it is promoted) only after the interval.
Nonetheless, it is a thriller all the way that writing a line carelessly about the plot may prove to be a spoiler. The film begins with an uncouth person (Mohanlal) who lands up at the doorstep of stock broker Unni's (Suresh Menon) doorstep in Coimbatore and claims to be his classmate Jose of the seventh standard. Unni cannot recollect any classmate named Jose. But, Jose knows every event of that period, so, Unni trusts him.
The purpose of Jose's visit (who claims to be a jeep driver in the high range area in Kerala) is shrouded in mystery. He refuses any financial help or employment offer; he just wishes to talk about something important in isolation. Jose's eerie behaviour disturbs the composure of Unni's family as well as professional life. And, the revelation of Jose's real identity and purpose of his sudden appearance creates further tremors.
The thriller mode of this film is reminiscent of Bharathan-M T Vasudevan Nair classic Thazhvaram (1990). The only difference is Blessy has kept his work more verbose and we can also find Blessy's speciality i.e. the portraits of happy nuclear families interspersed in between. Another thing worth noticing here is that he has kept the narrative laced with humour, so, the mood swings in the characters jolts the viewers too.
Mohanlal's character has a chameleon like quality -- the way it changes colours within moments without even the shot being cut is seen to be believed. His performance makes Bhramaram worth watching even if you have issues with the premise.
Suresh Menon, whom we have seen doing mimicry on Hindi television is a revelation. His role is outright serious bordering on negative.
VG Muralikrishnan, who had scripted and acted as the villain in Lal Jose directed Rasikan a few years back makes a comeback in this movie as an actor. But, his role is not as well etched out as other two leads. The two female leads Lakshmi Gopalaswami and Bhoomika Chawla can be said to be having only special appearances.
Bhramaram brings Blessy back into form after the debacle of Calcutta News.
Rediff Rating: