KANDHAHAR
Why I, who had missed out watching Ividam Swargamanu, Oru Naal Varum and Shikkaar in big screen, decided to go to theatre for watching Kandhahar? Was it for Mohanlal, Amithab, Major Ravi or all put together? And what I got in return?
Was reading with interest about Major Ravi's 4th attempt in celluloid that had the hijacking of Air India Flight to Kandhahar as the backdrop and interest zoomed when the news came that the Big B is playing a role in it and Surya being approached for another important part. For the first time after a long long time I walked into a hall without even checking the reviews.
Alas!It was diappointment to the core! Nothing is there to redeem the movie. Not even Mohanlal's presence. Major Ravi seems to have thought if we show the Military Academy Training, the strict regimen that is adhered there, passing out parades, people would fall for it. Throw some name dropping like Military Air Base Nagpur etc along with it and people would grab it! Sorry Major, it was too childish. And Major Ravi who comes in as a senior officer in the academy is loud and shouting all the time.
The hijack and rescue [here the real turns into reel] hardly last for 20 minutes and it looks way amateurish. I always used to admire and argue with friends that when it comes to logic there is none to beat Malayalam directors and here again Major gives me the biggest shock.
The dreaded terroist Masood [the hijack takes place to secure his release] is kept in a solitary cell and his supporters walk in and discuss plans to release him. The terrorists travelling as normal passengers open the food refrigerator inside the flight and pull out their weapons. Give me a break.
If all these things are not enough, the climax is horrendous. Even a Telugu masala film director would have done it better.
When the title cards opened up and when the words Lt.Colonel Mohanlal appeared, there was a huge roar in the hall and alas the same roar turned into loud boos at the end. Lal, hardly having 15 minutes of screen space in the first half and seen more in the second half seems to be lost. His touch which normally makes a big difference is totally missing here. Seems to be going through the motions. Ganesh Venkatraman looks good with a sound physique but needs to go a long way. KPCA Lalitha though only in handful of scenes does justice.
Amithab's character of Loknath Sharma as the father of Ganesh is the one that comes out well. Probably Amithab speaking in his native tongue had helped him. Sumalatha in just 2 scenes looks gorgeous.
Does it not have anything good? Yes, a few nuggets. Like when one of the terrorist with a gun in his hand is threatening everyone from helping an asthma patient, a small boy standing up,brushing aside the gun and saying "Ithinakaal Valliya thokku gnagalude veettil undu" [We have bigger guns than this at our home] and helping the patient with an inhaler is one such thing. Amithab's old student at Military academy identifying Ganesh while he is serving a punishment thus giving him a ray of hope only to be told to continue with his punishment exercise is another. But these are few and far in between.
I have never written so much negatives about any film. Why now? Probably my longing to see the Lal of good old days [which he has not been for the past 10 years except save for a couple of films]evaporated into thin air with the realisation dawning on me that it is too much to expect at this stage in his career. Hope and wish he proves me wrong.
Regards