Review: Maheshinte Prathikaaram

pic credit: ibtimes.co.in

The fact that a film like Maheshinte Prathikaaram is preferred over Action Hero Biju shows that we are in the process of getting ourselves moulded towards good cinematic taste. Even the names of the heroes - Biju and Mahesh gives a sense of feel goodness about those movies. Like Biju, Mahesh is also a hero, but of a different kind. Unlike the former’s world which is one that is filled with crime and violence Mahesh’s world is laidback. His vengeance is against someone who beats him in front of the people whom he knows. It’s just that, nothing more. The villain is not someone whom the hero knows since birth. Think about the fight we had in our school days. We hit back for the simple reason that the other guy hit us. It’s that simple. Yet this movie has something more to tell.

Behind that veneer of romantic comedy, Maheshinte Prathikaram has its own unique layers of stories. It has its moments that you would just love to watch over and over again. While Action Hero Biju has to shout and barrage you with loud music to get to the point, this one just cuddles you with a feather touch. It is like one of those old Malayalam text books which we studied in our school days. It gives a sense of belonging even though the characters exist only on paper. Every character is presented with a touch of humour which never goes beyond the limit. Even the villain, towards the end, learns to take things in lighter vein. However beneath the surface layer of comedy, there is that narrow line of sorrow and suffering. It is quite amazing to watch how the film manages to balance the two extremes perfectly.

 Dileesh Pothen’s first feature is so well-crafted and full of life that it hardly looks like a debut. He has managed to keep the same pace throughout without at any point making things look amateurish. And within that two hour running time he has managed to give life to some of the best characters we have ever come across in Malayalam cinema. Mahesh’s father is the best among the lot. He is pensive and silent most of the time, and is misunderstood by almost everyone. But what a characterization! Next in line is the heroine who appears only in the second half. Again, there is a new face, and you think…what an amazing choice for a character! Of course they all perform really well and at no point we get the feeling that one is more important than the other. Who else but Dileesh Pothen can think about a hero who vows never to wear a pair of slippers unless he beats the guy who humiliated him in front of his people? And about Fahadh….well, let me put it this way. We all know the difference between good and bad alcohol. You drink the good one with a sense of surety that you won’t wake up the next morning with a bad headache. Watching him act in this movie is so comforting that we want to see more of him. And you are sure that he won’t give you a headache after the movie.  

2016 is looking bright for our industry. Right now it wouldn’t be inappropriate to say that Malayalam movies is the one thing that makes us really proud as a community. Think about that this way. What Malayalam movies were we dying to watch during the beginning of the new millennium? .....None. In my college days window shopping was more interesting than watching movies. Things were bleak if you had a friend who loved Hindi cinema. Looking back, it seemed ridiculous back then to spend 50 rupees on something that puts you to sleep. Theatres were big air conditioned boxes with rats inside. It is in this context that one needs to look at the merits of a movie like Maheshinte Prathikaaram, the kind of movie which gives you the feeling that we are really evolving. They make us want to go to the theatres more often (even though the rats are still there) Outside that hall, everything is mundane; corrupt politicians, bad roads, traffic jams, the kind of reality that puts you off immediately. Yet while watching this film we get a feeling that things are not that bad after all.